Needed
by Cheska
Summary: HPSM. Serenity x Draco. Hermione x Ron. The cauldron is where everything ends and begins. From the cauldron Cosmos awakens and is sent to a magical world to help defeat Chaos, who happens to be fused within Voldemort. Mostly ignores the 6th book.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Needed

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 1 / Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own SM or Harry Potter.

First HP/SM fanfic I've made; I hope you enjoy it.

This will take place on the summer after the fifth year; so the story takes place 6th year and onwards, ignoring a part of HBP.

Pairing is Draco/Serenity, and slight Harry/Serenity. This does not occur until later in the story.

Re-edited March 15, 2008.

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Everything was enveloped in darkness with not a shroud of light in sight. In the distance, a sound could be heard... a cauldron bubbling amidst the darkness. As the bubbling intensified, shots of light came pouring forth, heading in several directions only to have some return back into the cauldron.

From the same cauldron, a bright ray solidified and hovered to reveal a young woman, barely the age of 16, clasping her hands together in a silent prayer.

Suddenly a voice came out from the cauldron for all to hear...

"This is the Galaxy Cauldron. Where the galaxy's stars are born and where they finally return. To engage the source of all the enemies who inhabited here, Eternal Sailor Moon melted along with Chaos into the Cauldron's sea of origin. And not the power of Eternal Sailor Moon, but the Cauldron, and the galaxy, were able to return everyone. But in the end, they could not completely eliminate Chaos."

Voices began to echo from the cauldron.

"From an overwhelming future, where the war to Sailor Chaos was lost, Cosmos gave up everything and ran away. There were repeated massacres, and a long, painful war... The enemy that appeared, the strong, enormous Sailor Chaos... There was no chance. Even if the soldiers back then had defeated Chaos, even if peace was returned, the damage taken, the price paid would be too much. Too far-reaching. I don't know anymore why there are wars. What is right? What should be done? When you are lost, when you are hurt, you still remember the war. Back then at the Cauldron. If you should eliminate it, would the pain, would the war have ended? After so many times of ignoring this moment, you could only return back to where it started. To make it right."

The eyes from the hovering form of the young girl began to open her eyes – half lidded.

"Now Eternal Sailor Moon, who saved the galaxy, is the true Sailor Cosmos. When, like Eternal Sailor Moon, I can have the courage to stand alone, and the courage to accept everything, at that time I can be the true Sailor Cosmos. Now, you shall return as well! To the place where you must return, to the person you must protect!"

Her eyes thus proceeded to open fully, revealing crystalline blue orbs. A gust of wind suddenly appeared and surrounded her followed by a bright light, enclosing her lithe form, and throwing her into the air.

(Where I must return...where I must protect...)

The gust of wind around her fluttered faster and harder, but she felt nothing as she stared at her surroundings. She was almost blinded by the radiance wrapped around her.

"...A new world awaits you, a place you must protect, to your loved one..."

(...the others...?) Her subconscious seemed to be answering for her, her form still helpless.

"They are within you; together you are all one...true Cosmos...someday in the distant future they might be born again. They will return back to the cauldron where stars, and possibilities, are born...but for now, they are with you..."

(...within me...everyone, we are all one...) At that thought, her eyes closed, and her soul at peace at the thought that her friends were safe. The thought they would be born again someday made her happy, at least they would have a future again.

"This place holds a man named Voldemort, his heart as black as Chaos itself. He is a small portion that has escaped and has been born into this Magical world. I now send you to that world, Cosmos - a world of witches and wizards, giants and werewolves alike. Protect the world that you love..."

Upon those words, the illumination around her body burned brighter than ever and she was thrust down toward Earth in lightning speed.

Then all she knew was darkness.

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An ancient, rambling castle could be seen from a distance by any witch or wizard that had business there. The castle consisted of 7 floors in a mountainous and secluded section that is not known, but believed to be in the UK. Its extensive land contains a wonderful patch of grass, a variety of flowers, flourishing bushes, and assorted trees – amongst them the infamous tree called the Whomping Willow.

Within the land stood three greenhouses located near the castle where students could enter for Herbology, several outbuildings for extra classes in case it is needed, a full-sized Quidditch pitch, and a hut located at the edge of the Forbidden Forest – a large and very dense forest.

Amid this extensive land lies a lake on the south side of the castle. It is now common knowledge that a giant squid with merpeople inhabiting the bottom of the lake along with the grindylows.

However, what no one expected to find was something akin to lightning coming down to earth. As the glow began to fade, a 16 year old girl with silver-blond hair wearing a white dress was found floating just above the surface of the water.

It was here that two people came running out of Hogwarts castle followed by an old man with a cat. Upon closer inspection, the two people consisted of an old man and a woman: the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, an elderly, white-haired gentleman and the Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, a stern-looking woman with black hair pulled into a bun. The old man following was the caretaker, Argus Filch, with lamp-like eyes and a pet cat by the name of Mrs. Norris, a dust colored cat with lamp-like eyes and a skeletal build. These three people came running from the castle at the first sign of the lightning striking the lake and sought out to investigate; surely there was no such thing as gold-colored lightning, especially in a clear night with no cloud in sight?

At the sight of the hovering young woman, the three adults stopped and Filch unconsciously scooped up his cat within a heartbeat at the sight of this woman. Is she friend or foe?

"Albus..." Professor McGonagall breathed in the sight, what were the chances that such an appearance would greet them? Of all the possibilities, never would they have guessed that a girl no less than 16 would appear after a lightning strike.

"...we'll bring her into the hospital wing, Minerva. We'll question her after she wakes up," the headmaster answered, his eyes never leaving the girl.

Just as Headmaster Dumbledore was about to wave his wand and cast the spell _Locomotor_ – to make the girl follow them back inside the castle – the girl, herself, began to sit upright, her milky-white hand coming up to rest on her head as she slowly took in the scenery around her.

"This place..." she whispered to herself, but the two adults closer to her, McGonagall and Dumbledore, heard her and edged closer to the lake.

The girl took in her surroundings, noticing the forest at the edge and a tall willow tree at the far end. Looking to her right, she blinked at the sight that greeted her, three adults staring at her in awe, wonder, and the old man with the cat – fear.

Why would they be so cautious? For that matter, where was she? All she could remember was... She furrowed her eyes in deep thought just before reality came crashing down as she remembered the fight.

The cauldron, Chaos, her friends, her beloved, her daughter, and herself.

She was now Cosmos. And her friends were with her... her beloved as well. Together they could do anything... they would one day come back, but right now this world needed her.

Reminding herself that she was not alone, she smiled wistfully before turning her attention to the small group. She was certain that even though this place was magical, it was still odd to find herself suddenly appear before them.

"I am sorry for intruding, but may I ask where I am?" she asked them.

The old man with a long silver hair and beard remained calm while the woman beside him had a small frown appearing from her features; it seemed that she was quite rude to not have introduced herself.

"I am sorry, where are my manners? My name is Serenity Moon," she hesitantly added but her situation did not seem to have lightened the tense atmosphere, as the woman simply pursed her lips.

"You are in Hogwarts, my dear. May I ask how you came to be here and on top of our lake?" the old man said, his blue eyes twinkling merrily behind half-moon spectacles.

Confusion marred her features before Serenity peered beneath her to find that she was indeed hovering above the lake. How odd, she did not know that she could defy gravity without the aid of her wings. A gasp escaped from her mouth as she tried to move, but all she managed to do was sway from side to side.

Smiling wanly, Serenity asked, "It would seem that I honestly don't know how I came to be here. If you would please...?" Her arms thrust forward, motioning that she was helpless in her current state and Dumbledore cast the _Locomotor_ to move the girl down onto the cool grass.

"Thank you..." Serenity nodded her head in thanks before glancing back towards the lake.

From that one glance she surmised that it was because the half-moon's rays mirrored its reflection onto the lake itself, a perfect mark to land herself. Thankfully, she was not thrown into the lake itself, she was unconscious before being woken up.

"Now that you are back on the ground, would you tell us more about yourself?" Dumbledore inquired.

"...would it not be better to discuss this somewhere more private?" McGonagall suggested, laying a hand on the old man's shoulder.

"Yes, yes that would be better." Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Serenity to follow him into the seven-story building that she could only presume as Hogwarts.

All was silent in Headmaster Dumbledore's office as the wizened man himself sat behind his desk stacked with papers, the Deputy Headmistress right next to him and the caretaker now missing from sight after a hasty dismissal.

The young girl named Serenity sat in front of him, her gaze surveying the room until it rested on the red phoenix that he called Fawkes.

"Now if you don't mind..." Dumbledore rested his fingers together as he eyed the girl; she was a curious one indeed.

"Before I tell you anything, would you please tell me about this place and who you all are? I am quite new to this world, for you see... I am not from around here." Serenity gently let a smile rest on her features, hoping that it was a friendly one.

"New? If you are... how did you arrive here?" the woman asked, shock apparent on her usually stoic face.

"Now, now she asked us for information first."

"I know that this place is Hogwarts from what you told me...and from the way you waved your wand, and with me floating in mid-air, I am guessing this is a magical place – a magical world."

"That is correct, this is the wizard world, hidden from Muggles – non-magical people; a world of its own and governed by Ministry of Magic. Just 3 weeks ago, a man who calls himself Voldemort has revealed himself to the people and terrorized the whole magical and non-magical community with the aid of his followers. Our old minster, Fudge has been replaced by one called Rufus Scrimgeour. There is not much to tell you, except that the Second War has begun, for you see – Voldemort was believed to be dead for several years, until recently." Dumbledore informed the young girl.

"Albus, isn't that saying too much for one so young?" McGonagall inquired.

"No, it is quite alright. This man – Voldemort... he sounds familiar, and yet I am certain I have never met him before," Serenity softly uttered.

"Thank Merlin you have not!" McGonagall cried out, appalled that this young girl remained calm after hearing such horrible news.

"Before I landed, before I arrived... a voice...told me that there was someone I needed to stop... and his name was Voldemort. I need to help this world and protect it from him."

"You are much too young, you need not concern about such matters!" McGonagall waved it off but Dumbledore did not show surprise as he studied the girl before him. The way that she spoke and carried herself, presented itself to him that she was not any normal girl – she was special.

"Being young has nothing to do with it. I believe that Voldemort has something that should not belong to him... I believe you have heard of the term "selling your soul to the devil"? Voldemort has gained a great portion of his powers through Chaos, albeit a small portion, but enough to be a threat," Serenity explained much to her surprise.

Why was she revealing so much to these people, they were strangers were they not? What if they were working for the enemy, for Voldemort? Looking around, she spotted the sleeping phoenix and allowed herself to calm down – it didn't matter, she already revealed her motive for arriving in this world. She could not change what she had already revealed. Besides a phoenix was only around loyal and trustworthy individuals, she could trust them.

"And how did you come up with this information?" Dumbledore softly inquired, his eyes calm yet attentive as his blue eyes bore down on her – she was incapable of breaking the eye contact much to her discomfort.

"The cauldron informed me before sending me to your world..." Serenity softly replied, her eyes almost glazing over as she stared at the old man.

"The cauldron?" McGonagall blinked, not hearing the term before.

"The cauldron is found in the ancient texts, it has not been heard for hundreds of years, almost dating back to Merlin himself; the cauldron was where everything began and ended, forming the very world and everything in it, stretching beyond the stars themselves." Dumbledore supplied.

"She can't be serious! A cauldron contacting her?" McGonagall was clearly flabbergasted by the turn of events.

"...the cauldron indeed has an entity, the voice of all and yet it does not have one for itself. The cauldron is the voice of everyone and everything." Serenity whispered, barely uttering a sound as she responded to McGonagall.

"Well, we have heard her out... she has obviously been sent here to help our very own Harry Potter." Dumbledore smiled as leaned against his high back chair.

As soon as he did so, Serenity's eyes seemed to have cleared from the glazed expression she wore only moments ago. Instinctively her hand flew up to her hand, a dull numbing pain now apparent in her head. For a few seconds she wondered what had happened before recalling what occurred. Immediately, she shot an accusing glare at the old man sitting in front of her.

"You...you have some sort of...what did you do to me?" Serenity cried out, obviously upset – she never meant to reveal so much information to two strangers!

"I am sorry for what has happened, but in these times of darkness one can never be sure if someone is telling the truth or not. Do not worry; I have not delved into your mind more than I needed." Dumbledore apologized.

"What... was that? Can your kind perform such wizardry so easily?" Serenity wondered,

recalling a time in her past when Prince Diamond had once performed a spell over her.

"No, not everyone can perform _Legilimens_, it takes a great amount of power and concentration." Dumbledore explained.

"I am afraid I need to know more about your world, if I am to remain here..." Serenity smiled tiredly.

"There is a great deal of time until then, for now it would be best if you rest. We can talk about this tomorrow after breakfast. Professor McGonagall shall show you to the infirmary. I am sure that Madame Pomfrey will not mind housing you until we can find a room of your own, or until the school term begins," Dumbledore raised himself up and ushered Serenity and McGonagall from his office.

"Thank you..." Serenity whispered before following the woman named McGonagall out of the room.

"Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts – School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," the old man informed her before the door closed shut behind her.

As Serenity descended the stairs, she almost jumped when the gargoyle statue appeared behind her, barring the entrance to the Headmaster's office.

"There is no need to be surprised, this is a magical world," Professor McGonagall raised an elegant eyebrow as she surveyed the teenager before her.

"I am sorry, I am just... surprised by everything here," Serenity apologized, trying to hide her astonishment at the sight of moving pictures and in the distance, could see the revolving and moving stairs, "Is it always like this?"

"I am afraid so, but it is only two weeks into July. By the time school term begins, I am pretty sure you'll manage to catch up in common knowledge. Education... is another matter altogether," Professor McGonagall stated before leading her down the hallway to what she assumed would be the path to Madame Pomfrey.

Over time, Serenity was kept informed by various people – dead and undead – about the magical world they lived in. By mid-August, she had managed to learn a few spells aside from information about the school and a brief history of the magical world itself – even if it was from Professor Binns.

As for how she learned those few spells, well, after spending a few days in Hogwarts she managed to summon her Silver Crystal and was surprised when her own crystal transformed itself into a wand. She had no idea how it happened, except that she mentally wished that it would become one. Thus her silver crystal transformed into a wand: 10" oakwood, supple when waved, and she guessed that the magical ingredient could only be is the silver crystal itself. Thereafter, she would spend her time trying to learn common spells that many students should know around her age – 16 – sixth years.

Sighing, Serenity dragged herself down the corridors and noticed the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Even though she had spent about a month in this school, she still couldn't believe that ghosts really did exist; it was already a known fact that she was deathly afraid of them, but her professors had informed her that there was nothing they could do. Besides she had to face her fears sooner or later, right? Bracing herself, she strode forward and observed the ghost; Nearly Headless Nick was probably one of the few that she could tolerate – Peeves was an exception.

"Hello Sir Nicholas," Serenity greeted, pocketing her wand into the borrowed dress robes that the school had lent her.

"Ah, Serenity, greetings. I see that you have managed to steam up enough courage to face someone such as myself," the old ghost greeted as he made a small bow in greeting.

"I have to get myself used to this atmosphere, this world...is different from the Muggle world," Serenity conversed.

"I have heard that story many times over the years, I can assure you. There are students that come here bearing magic even though they, themselves, were born into non-magical families," Nearly Headless Nick related.

"Non-magical... I faintly recall Professor Binns telling me that at one point or another..." Serenity faintly blushed, remembering that she had fallen asleep during one of his lectures.

"Quite alright, many students end up doing that," the ghost chuckled.

"Serenity, there you are! I have managed to free up some time to teach you a few more spells. Afterwards, you are to meet Professor Flitwick for charms, he finally arrived yesterday night," Professor McGonagall told the teen before her, before turning around to lead the way in what Serenity assumed would be an empty classroom.

"I have been told that there would be potions lessons, has the potions teacher not yet arrived?" Serenity conversed, revealing her concern for one of the few classes that she has not encountered thus far.

"Unfortunately, Professor Snape has not returned from summer break. Nevertheless, you must learn all you can before the term begins," Professor McGonagall replied in a clipped tone.

Serenity nodded before entering a classroom that she knew all too well. This was the same classroom that the transfiguration teacher had sent her to over the month. She could only assume that this was the Deputy Headmistress' classroom during the school year.

"Now, let us begin..." Professor McGonagall summoned several devices from her drawer and floated them over to an open table, "transfigure these items into hamsters, if you please."

Staring at the box, hat, and pin cushion Serenity groaned and reached into her pocket for her wand – this was going to be a long day indeed.

As summer began to end, no sign of the infamous Professor Snape was found and Serenity began to wonder if he would ever show up at all. It seemed odd that none of the other professors worried about this little known fact. Nevertheless, they continued to bring her up to speed, doing their best in teaching the young teenager what they could so as to better prepare herself for the sixth year. A few questioned as to why she did not know, only to be veered into a different topic by Professor McGonagall, thankfully enough. Aside from that, nothing troubled Serenity, except of course, the few times that Headmaster Dumbledore had gone missing from the meals.

"September 1st is coming in ten days, Professors. Do you think that I am... good enough to hide the fact that I am not from around here?" Serenity voiced her concern to the gathered professors in the Great Hall.

"My dear, just because you have not learned all there is to know about the magical community does not mean that you're completely hopeless!" laughed Professor Sprout from Herbology.

"That is true, there are students that are not even up to par as yourself," nodded Professor Flitwick.

"Thank you, but I am still missing valuable information in Potions, Care for Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy, Astronomy, and very little in Defense Against the Dark Arts. How am I going to survive this school year?" Serenity wailed, fear and apprehension for the upcoming semester vivid in her voice and face.

Some of the teachers were quite apprehensive as to how to handle this child, none having a child for themselves, despite the many students they have dealt with.

"Now deary, stop that nonsense!" Madame Pomfrey gently scolded as she came to the Great Hall, holding a Calming Drought in her hand, and handed the concoction to the panic-stricken teenager, "I assumed as much. Taking all these courses within the summer year. I was wondering when you were about to break from so much stress."

"Thank you Madame Promfrey," Serenity said in gratitude after swallowing the unknown substance, feeling a sense of calmness enter her system.

"Now dear, just because you have yourself a room does not mean that you cannot stop by once in awhile. Goodness knows how many kids have dropped to the floor because they cannot take care of themselves properly!" Madame Pomfrey gently chided before proceeding out of the Great Halls.

"How did she know I was overwhelmed?" Serenity inquired only to receive a shaking of heads, signaling that they, themselves, did not know how their school nurse knew.

"Seeing as you are the only student wandering the halls, I would assume that she has kept a look out for you ever since you came to the Hospital Wing," an old voice answered, and as Serenity turned around she saw Headmaster Dumbledore come inside the Great Hall, taking his familiar seat in the middle of their circular table. She was told that once the school term began, there would be divided tables in the Great Hall, but over the summer it would be cleared away or changed to accommodate the amount of people in the school.

"Headmaster, good evening. I was just about to ask the Professors about my school supplies and classes," Serenity said in greeting.

"Ah, yes... I shall arrange for a delivery to be sent to the school for your robes and school supplies. As for classes, seeing as you have missed the OWLs exam, I have arranged for it to be taken tomorrow morning," Dumbledore calmly said as he conjured up a few food items onto his plate.

"Tomorrow?" Serenity cried out, feeling faint from this unexpected news.

"Now that you mention it, Albus... is it not odd that throughout this summer she has not been warned by the Ministry about the amount of magic she has been using?" Professor McGonagall murmured.

"Ah, that must be because I am not even registered in this world. After all, I did drop from the sky, literally..." Serenity laughed as she grabbed more food, needing to consume an enormous amount of food to replace the amount of dread that was forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Hmm... if that is so, once the examiners come, you would be registered as a witch," Professor McGonagall assumed what would happen within a day's time.

"Although I cannot offer a valid explanation, Professor, I doubt that I will be registered. All I can say is that, even if they do jot me down – I won't appear." Serenity grinned as she forced a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

McGonagall could only frown at this bit of information, the mystery of this young teenager only became more of an anonymity to her, and surely for the rest of the staff as well.

The next morning proved hectic for the young 16 year old girl from the time she woke up. For one thing, she was greeted with the sight of Peeves, the Poltergeist, who came in laughing in front of her face before throwing her room in disarray. She had half a mind to play a trick of her own, but that would prove in vain because she could not come up with anything in mind. She did not know anything other than what the teachers have told her, thus it did not include anything resembling to entertainment, other than the trips made to Hogsmeade.

After Peeves' unpleasant visit, Serenity met up with Professor McGonagall who informed her that she would take the test over in the Great Hall. Bringing up the subject of the OWLs made her sick to the stomach, knowing full well that she still has not taken Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. All she was told was what the subjects vaguely consisted of. Aside from that, she was told that the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was newly hired and has not arrived at Hogwarts. This really upset Serenity because she was unsure of what the class entailed aside from what the teachers and the Headmaster could spare to teach her; this comprised of small defensive spells and short briefings of Dark Creatures – vampires, banshees, grindylows, and werewolves. The werewolves' subject, itself, was shady and made her wonder which professor even told the truth. There were different interpretations and versions from all the teachers that tutored her on the subject. Overall, Serenity was overwhelmed, wouldn't you be if a group of teachers that you have met not more than a month and a half ago came and pushed all of this knowledge down your throat?

Taking a deep breath, Serenity watched as Professor McGonagall pushed the doors to the Great Hall open and motioned for Serenity to come inside. Professor McGonagall shortly informed her that this was going to be a different approach from normal OWL procedures at the behest of the Headmaster. This exam would not be the normal 9 exams but seven – all of the compulsory courses required: DADA, Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Charms, Astronomy, and Herbology. Moreover, it would all take place for the whole week straight; the results would come in on September 2nd.

Serenity's eyes widened at how much Headmaster Dumbledore was willing to do for her, he was surely a great man to have these connections in a short amount of time. Smiling softly in understanding, Serenity nodded in appreciation to Professor McGonagall, "Thank you very much Professor and please tell the Headmaster that as well. I know that this was quite troublesome for all of you. I shall try my best to make you proud."

(Even though everything is against me compared to most witches and wizards my age, I shall try my best to pass...) Serenity inwardly said to herself as she gripped the wand firmly beneath her robes and strode forward to the awaiting witches and wizards.

"Moon, Serenity?"

"Yes!" Serenity smiled warmly, "I am ready."

That whole week, Serenity did her best in all the exams, trying to muster enough courage to answer the questions she believed to be right, and taking a chance in those she did not know herself. However, every time she was hesitant to believe herself capable of performing a certain spell or answering a certain question, she drew her strength from her wand. She would silently pray to the silver crystal for strength, and a magical energy seemed to soothe her fears away as newfound confidence overcame her senses.

By the end of the week she was thoroughly exhausted as she walked out of her last exam during the night, it was Astronomy, and she knew it had been dreadful when she had to map out the constellations.

In her past life, she never so much as looked up to the study the sky, with the exception of the moon. However, she vaguely recalled her friends, Ami and Makoto, remark on how beautiful the constellations were and even Rei agreed. Only herself and Minako would only say that it was romantic, but know nothing about where the constellations were; oh how she wished she paid more attention.

However, by the end of the exam, Serenity reached over to seek out comfort and assurance from her wand and recalled the same feeling of assurance shooting from the wand. She had deftly wondered if it was because the silver crystal and her friends were a part of herself now. As soon as this idea came into her mind, it was cast away when the examiner strolled behind her and she forced herself to continue on with her work; she looked through the telescope and mapped out the stars as quickly as she could. It was almost as if Mercury was with her, silently giving her instructions that flowed through her fingertips.

And that was how the rest of the exam went, and now Serenity could barely stand on her own two feet as she shakily made her way back to her room, not caring whether or not she passed her exams.

"Ah, it's over..." Serenity sighed in relief before collapsing from exhaustion on her bed.

(Thank you everyone... for your strength.) Serenity murmured before sleep overcame her, clutching her wand in her right hand.

To be continued...  
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There are a few explanations I would like to deal with before anything more could be said.

I made Serena/Usagi as Serenity Moon because this takes place in a different world. After all, I doubt they would understand her if she keeps speaking Japanese... Serenity can speak English because she does have her senshi as a part of herself now, since she is Cosmos. She came up with the name, probably at the last minute – the name being the first reasonable option. Serenity from being Princess Serenity and Moon, because of Sailor Moon and as Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.

With the senshi as a part of Serenity, they can still help her in one way or another, in this case they are part of Serenity's wand; this explains the part during the test whenever Serenity touches her wand for "confidence" and "assurance," those are the times when her senshi are trying their best to help her – mostly Ami's part. However, her friends are not witches and wizards, they can only help as far as they can – such as following directions and knowledge they have gathered in their own terms.

Aside from the senshi being in Serenity's Silver Crystal, the whole wand transfiguring itself was done mostly because Serenity unconsciously wished it to happen – it doesn't take much energy to happen, which is why Serenity was sort of surprised that her crystal transfigured. As for why I chose her want to look like it does, well – J.K. Rowling based it on the Celtic tree astrology – Serenity's wand is supposed to be from the oak tree, therefore she gets oak tree. Her birthday is supposedly June 30th. The other parts, such as 10" and supple... well, that one is made up... hahaha.

Lastly, the scene with Galaxia and the cauldron was changed here and there to suit the storyline – the scene is not entirely accurate. Especially the part about the cauldron talking to her, in her mind.

As you can tell, some of the professors have tutored Serenity during the summer and it is almost impossible to learn everything up until the sixth year. To make this more believable, I would have to say that she was tutored day in and day out, including weekends. Even then, she cannot know everything; she only learned a few of the subjects in a limited amount of time.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 2 – Sorting, Introductions, troublesome Schedules

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter. I am merely borrowing some of the characters for the fanfic. This takes place after fifth year, with a few borrowed parts from the sixth year.

Thank you for your kind reviews, everyone. I appreciate the support!

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Harry Potter's summer break proved to be difficult since the Department of Mysteries, almost everything reminded the young teenager of his deceased godfather.

Every time a gust of wind blew by, ruffling the leaves of the trees, Harry would reminisce those few enjoyable moments when he saw his godfather ride Buckbeak to freedom. It reminded him of the way the wind ruffled through Sirius' hair, it was all too much.

When Harry was not looking out the window from his room, he was reliving the moments right up until Sirius fell through the veil... over and over, replaying itself within his mind.

He tried to convince himself that Sirius would not have wanted his godson to grieve for his death, he should live life to the fullest, and not mull over the past. So every time he would mourn, Harry tried to remind himself that he should not dwell in the past – not when Voldemort was clearly on the loose.

Voldemort.

Since the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort and his Death Eaters wreaked havoc throughout the community – terrorizing and killing muggles, destroying bridges, and setting the prisoners from Azkaban free with the Dementors leaving their posts to side with the Dark Lord.

With the Dementors, Death Eaters, and Voldemort on the loose, shock rang throughout the whole community forcing many Wizard families to go into hiding. The rest of the magical community held wavering confidence on the Ministry to sort this mess out, a few hoping that Dumbledore himself will stop this madness... If not, surely, The-Boy-Who-Lived could take down Voldemort as he had in the past. Actually, only a few of the refer to him as that, now opting to call Harry Potter as The Chosen One, believing that he is destined to finish Voldemort.

How close to the truth they really were... _'for neither could live while the other survives...'_

Aside from the bleak news that greeted the famous Harry Potter every day, Harry had one thing to be grateful for, and that was the fact that Minister Fudge had been forced from his position to be replaced by Rufus Scrimgeour. Hopefully, this new Minister could perform a better job than the last one.

Although Harry was relieved that the wizard community was now alert of Voldemort's return, the young teenager could not help but feel a bit depressed over the loss of his godfather. The Ministry still refused to clear all charges over Sirius Black because there was no proof available to them, even when Harry and his friends claimed that he came to help them in battle. Since then Harry had spent plenty of time in mourning, unable to rid himself of the lonely feeling left in his heart. Sirius was the closest thing he ever had to a father, and now he was left with only one person, Remus, the last link he would ever have to his father – Wormtail, the traitor, did not count.

Remus had tried his best to comfort Harry by writing to him, letters of encouragement that the boy tried his best to heed only to fail. There was even a moment in time that Remus dared to show up with Tonks and dragged him outside for a walk in the neighborhood. That small memory brought a twinge of a smile on Harry's face, recalling how shocked he was with their visit. But his shock was nowhere near as obvious as Aunt Petunia's when she opened the door to reveal a tired man accompanied by a pink-haired young woman. She nearly died from fright in receiving the couple. Yes, couple in _that_ term, Harry found out that Tonks had managed to gain Remus' affection regardless of their age difference.

Ever since the couple's visit, Harry's heart and conscience seemed to have lightened up considerably. More so when they visited again near the end of the summer, and this time Harry had revealed a small part of his emotions to Remus knowing that the werewolf could understand his situation – somehow.

Despite the fact that these few visits had made him happy and content, it took a turn for the worse when two weeks before the end of summer, a letter came in via Owl mail. A barnyard owl, clearly from Hogwarts, came to deliver him his mail. He was apprehensive by the stack of letters being delivered from one owl but braced himself for the worst. There were three in total, two of them as his Owl results and the usual reminder, while the third was lighter and surely held a message – good or bad, the troubled teen did not know.

Sighing, Harry reached over and read the reminder, telling him the list of books he would need and to board Hogwarts Express through Platform 9 ¾ on September 1st. Afterwards, he reached over to check his Owl results, "better get this over with."

His eyes scanned the page before resting on the scores itself.

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: E

Defence Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: D

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

Harry only briefly lit up, managing to score 7 Owls, out of his possible 9 but frowned over the fact that he only managed an E in Potions. Snape only accepts Os in his class. It seemed like his dreams of being an Auror has come to an abrupt halt. What is he going to become now?

Casting the parchment aside, he laid his green eyes on the third envelope and opened it. It would not be as bad as not taking NEWT level Potions, right?

Opening the paper, he scanned its content and froze. A small, yet undeniable grin appeared on his young face.

_Hey Harry,_

_No worries about staying there. Sorry we couldn't get you earlier from those muggles, but Dumbledore hasn't been around that much so mom couldn't ask. But we should be coming there by tomorrow morning at 10. Wait for us. We're bringing you back to the Burrow._

_Ron_

This was wonderful news! He would get away from his relatives, instead of having them take him to King's Cross! However, as Harry glanced back at Ron's messy scrawl, he could not help but wonder why the headmaster has not been around the Weasley household that much. Granted, the headmaster could be busy contacting the Order and trying to form an agreement with the new Minister. However, Ron had mentioned in his previous letters, albeit vaguely, that most of the Order stops by and holds small meetings in the Burrow. So why does Dumbledore rarely visit the Burrow, if the meetings are mostly held there?

Harry frowned a bit before reaching over to a battered old shoe box that he kept beside his bed and opened it, retrieving a small letter that was sent from Hermione.

Hermione – she had kept in touch with him a few times over the summer. She mentioned that she would be staying at the Burrow 3 weeks before school began, meaning that she should have arrived already. Looking at her letter, it was dated the day that she arrived and mentioned how the Order held a meeting the night of her arrival.

Hermione mentioned that Fred and George joined the Order and held a special job making Defensive items located in the back of their store – the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. This section of their inventory makes up a large percentage of their profit, consisting of shield items, and decoy detonators were largely bought from the Ministry of Magic. Scanning through the rest of the letter, Harry frowned that there was no mention of what was going on in the Order.

Harry sighed before putting the letters into his battered old shoe box; he still needed to pack up his few belongings if the Weasley's were to be here tomorrow morning.

"""""""""""""

As anyone can assume, the rest of the summer for Harry James Potter was spent in peace after the Weasley's came to pick him up. With Harry's arrival at the Burrow, the days seemed to have lasted longer and the nights much kinder now that Harry was back amongst friends. He hardly had nightmares in the presence of a loving family, and it was because of their presence that Harry assumed that this is what Sirius must have wanted for him – a warm, loving family.

The summer days were spent in warmth, the children sometimes making trips to Diagon Alley, not just to buy their sixth year school supplies but to have fun. Although many wizarding families felt the need to hide, there were still a few who felt that they should not. They needed to place their faith to the Ministry, to the Aurors, and to their own selves. Thus there were still a few witches and wizards that walked the grounds of Diagon Alley, but with more protective spells and wards, accompanied by a horde of Aurors placed around the Wizarding world.

As for the Order meetings, they were still held in the Burrow. Dumbledore would make his presence known, but the relationship between Harry and the aged wizard were relatively tense since that dreadful night at the end of fifth year. However, their relationship was not tense enough that the two could not be cordial with one another. It was apparent that the bridge between the two would be rocky for some time.

The first step that Dumbledore did to patch the gap between them was to allow Harry and his friends into the Order meetings. There were several protests but it soon died down. After all, it would only be a matter of time before they would be of age. Not to mention, if they did keep the children in the dark they would either vie for information from the twins, or worse – get into another situation much like the last one.

Since then, the Order of the Phoenix grew with information and kept tabs with the Ministry. Surprisingly enough, although the Order kept tabs with the Ministry and vice versa – the two had not fully combined their efforts. They were allies when it came to Voldemort, but their procedure was severely different. Whereas the Order preferred to keep the fight clean and secretive, the Ministry preferred a much more obvious approach.

Despite their differences, the Ministry and the Order offered assistance when necessary.

"""""""""""

September 1st seemed to have crept unexpectedly when the Weasley family woke up that morning. Fred and George Weasley stayed the night before to see them off that very morning. So when morning dawned – the twins came bounding in with grins set on their faces and a stack of fliers in their arms.

"Morning!" the two chirped to a groggy Ron and a wary Harry.

"Do you two have to be so bloody happy?" Ron grumbled, dragging his trunk behind him, "What's with those grins of yours?"

"I think they want us to pass those fliers for their shop," Ginny pointed.

"Now sister dear, whatever made you think that?" gasped the two in unison, placing their hands right above their heart.

"Oh I don't know; that stack in your hand?" Ginny smirked while raising an elegant eyebrow at the same time.

"Well now that you mention it..." trailed Fred.

"We wouldn't mind..." George picked up.

"And we would ever be so grateful, sister dearest." the two chorused, and placed the stacks of fliers right over Ginny's, Ron's, and Harry's arms.

"Fred! George!" Molly Weasley shouted, firmly placing both hands against her hips as she glared at the twins, "We're already running late! We don't need you to take up more of the children's time. Now make yourselves useful and help them load up their trunks into the car!"

"Yes ma'am!" Fred and George performed a mock salute before turning their eyes over to the trio, a grin on their faces.

"Oh no what now?" Ron groaned.

Before he could completely finish his sentence, the twins raised their wands in the air and murmured, "_Locomotor trunks_!" The three trunks rose in the air and were whipped throughout the household before flying through the doors and an undeniable _Ka-thunk_ followed suit. Two owls gave an indignant hoot afterwards, followed by some muttered cursing and a shout, "FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY! WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT...?"

"Uh-oh!" the twins paled at the sound of their mother.

"Well I think we've just about finished our stay here..."

"Such a shame we don't have enough time to say our good-byes properly."

"Do take care of yourselves..."

"FRED! GEORGE!" the shout from Molly Weasley seemed to be coming much closer now.

"Good-bye, and say one for Hermione when you see her, won't you?"

With that said, two loud pops could be heard as soon as the twins made their way outside from the kitchen door, signaling that they have left the Burrow. By that time, Molly Weasley had come storming inside with a few articles of clothing apparent on her person and on her left arm she held a few stacks of books.

"I'm afraid they left, mum..." Ron pointed out.

"Hmf, as expected. I thought I told those two just yesterday not to use their powers so carelessly!" Molly Weasley proceeded to go and check up on the trio before digging into her muggle clothing in order to retrieve her wand. Sighing to herself she tells the children to wait in the Ministry car with Hermione before marching off outside the doors to fix the mess that the twins made.

Harry inwardly grinned as they walked toward the Ministry car, specially sent to them for Harry's protection. It really would not have been the same if there was no chaos at the Burrow right before running off to Hogwarts Express with barely a minute to spare.

""""""""""""

Getting off the thestral-driven carriages, the group of Hogwarts students bustled into the school with thoughts of warm food and warm beds that awaited them in just a few hours time. As they sat themselves in their respective seats, a few eyes wandered off to the seats up above the dais.

"Who do you think is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ron Weasley dared ask as he noticed a few of his fellow classmates wonder the same question.

"Obviously someone we haven't seen before, Ron," Hermione dismissed the question, but had also wondered the same question as she quickly scanned through the Professors marking each one off as she went down the line.

"No one is up there that we don't already know or haven't heard about," mumbled Ron.

"I bloody well don't care as long as it's not Umbridge again," Harry cracked a grin at his best friend.

"Or Professor Snape," quipped a new voice.

Neville Longbottom stood there with a grin on his face as he greeted his friends. It seemed that ever since the event in the Department of Mystery had changed the once timid young boy. What stood before them was what they could describe as a much more confident young man. He was more built and had a tan, probably due to the warm sun out in the fields knowing that Neville loved Herbology more than all his subjects.

"Neville?" Hermione voiced out, wanting to make sure this was the same teen that came with them to the Department.

Neville simply grinned in response before sitting beside his small group of friends. He knew that he completely shocked them by his new appearance. Ever since the Department of Mystery he delved into his grandmother's greenhouse and worked non-stop, unless his grandmother came and forced him to eat. He was upset throughout most of the summer for letting that woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, escape him. However, because of that he forced himself to keep his mind on something else - building up his confidence and becoming a bit more knowledgeable in certain aspects of magic. He promised to himself that the next time he met up with that woman, he would make her pay for what she did to his parents.

"Summer did you good, mate," Ron complimented but before Neville could reply the doors swung open to reveal Professor McGonagall with the first years.

However, as all the first years filed into the room they were shocked to see someone in that group that stood out – a young teenager with silver-blond hair. She towered over them at a height of 5' 2" and appeared to be around their age, so what was she doing in a group of first years?

"Hey, who's that?" Harry couldn't help but ask his friends, hoping that at least one of them would know who that girl was.

"Don't know, you don't suppose she's a transfer student?" Ron said, wondering the same thing as everyone else.

Whispers then proceeded throughout the room, wondering who that new student was and if she really was a first year.

""""""""""

Serenity was lost in thought as she recalled what occurred throughout the day. She had woken up around noon and came down in time for lunch only to realize that the Great Hall was arranged differently. The Professors that she had become familiar with were all seated up on the dais, chatting amicably with one another about what they were planning for their classes. As she approached the dais, the Headmaster turned to greet her and conjured an additional chair for her.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Moon glad of you to join us. I do believe this will be your last day to sit amongst us," Dumbledore greeted.

"Tonight is the Sorting, isn't it?" Serenity recalled as she helped herself to breakfast, now used to being around her Professors ever since her arrival not too long ago.

"After your sorting, you're expected to sit with your classmates," McGonagall informed the teenager.

"I understand, Professor," Serenity smiled politely, knowing that after this meal there would be nothing between any of them, they would all simply be student and teacher.

She appreciated all that they have done. They had introduced her to this magical world and tried their best to catch her up to the other students. Her professors had done what they can to ensure that she would be competent enough in using a wand in casting spells that are widely used by her peers. Of course, that meant, she would need to study other spells in her own free time – quite possibly during vacation or when she isn't doing any assignments.

"Ah, once class starts I do expect you to catch up on Potions as well. Once your OWL results arrive, we will need to adjust your classes to more respectable times," Dumbledore added.

"That would be on the second day of school, won't it?" Serenity pointed out.

"Nothing to worry about, the second is a free day seeing as it falls on the weekend," Flitwick reminded the girl.

"About Potions, Headmaster," Serenity softly began, "I was wondering if I am to take remedial classes..."

"Well seeing as you haven't had the proper training, it is likely. But I would like to hold it off until your OWL results arrive. Afterwards, I suggest talking to your Head of House about your path after Hogwarts," Dumbledore gazed down on the girl, his blue eyes twinkling merrily.

"You mean a career path?" Serenity whispered in awe.

"Every one of our students are required to meet with their Head of House about a possible career that they may take. I must say there are many paths for you to choose from. And each possible career has certain requirements and scores..." Professor Flitwick piped up, becoming engaged in the conversation ever since the topic wound up in academics.

"But-but...I've just been introduced to this world!" Serenity exclaimed, her eyes widening, and her face paling.

"It is a lot to take in," Professor Sprout quipped, an amused expression on her face.

"Before you start thinking about a possible career path, I would like to introduce you to the Head of Slytherin – Professor Snape. I am afraid that the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has not arrived yet, I can assure you that he will be here by the start-of-the term feast," Dumbledore stated, to her and to the rest of the staff, "I have mentioned earlier that I expect you to catch up on Potions. Now that Professor Snape has come back to us..."

"I understand Headmaster," Serenity nodded her head in assent before turning her attention to Professor Snape, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor."

Said Professor, however, merely glared at her before turning back to his meal. His reaction, to say the least, was not a promising one. Deep in her mind, Serenity knew that Potions is not going to be her best subject, nor her favored one.

"Don't mind Professor Snape, he usually acts like that," Professor Sprout whispered to the young teen with a playful smirk on her face.

Feeling a little bit better, Serenity smiled at the Herbology professor before turning back to her meal.

Although in her younger years she simply detested anything related to studying and school, this one was different. Here she could learn something that was actually interesting and different from normal – no, Muggle – school. Here, Serenity was in her element. Magic was involved, something that she became familiar with since her reincarnation. True, it was a different form of magic, but wizardry is not altogether different from her planetary powers. Whereas her alternate form as Sailor Moon and Cosmos draw their power from the Moon and the universe, wizardry draws its own power from their own energy.

"Serenity?" a tentative witch brought the young teen from her stupor, looking at the witch Serenity recalled her as the Arithmancy Professor Vector. She had never taken the class before, and the young teenage witch doubted that she would ever take the class. She already had enough classes to catch up with, as it is.

"I'm sorry, Professor, I was lost in thought. I wonder – even if I do pass my courses, will I still be taking remedial classes for Transfiguration and the like?" Serenity inquired, as she sought the eyes of her Headmaster.

"I am afraid you will have to. There is much that you need to catch up on, Ms. Moon," Dumbledore stated in a calm, soothing voice.

Serenity blanched, not only was she taking remedial Potions but she still has to take remedial courses for the other main courses. How is she supposed to handle this?!

"I understand it will be overwhelming, but if you are to stay in this school and be a regular student, you will need to catch up to your other classmates," Dumbledore explained.

"I-I understand, Headmaster. B-but one other thing, how are you going to introduce me to the other students?"

Dumbledore smiled at the young teenager, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.

""""""

Since the Headmaster's explanation and assurances, nothing else seemed remotely significant enough to retain other than the orders given to her. She was to wait outside of the Great Hall with the First Years and be sorted right after them. Of course, that would mean she would have to be introduced as an exchange student.

That last part worried her a great deal, and sure enough, she had reason to be – now that she was here.

Calming her nerves, Serenity looked up after noticing that she had been staring down at her feet and everywhere else other than the students. Letting a small yet heavy sigh escape her, Serenity suddenly realized that only she remained in the middle of the Great Hall.

Obviously, she missed the beginning of the Sorting.

"Moon, Serenity."

Bracing herself, Serenity walked up to the chair and sat down – the battered old hat now placed above her head.

_Ahh, Princess Serenity... what a pleasant surprise._ A pleasant male voice sounded in her head.

Startled by the voice, Serenity almost jumped from her seat but refused to. There was enough oddness in this Magical world, so what if there was a voice inside her head? It must be normal.

_Allow me to introduce myself, I am the Sorting Hat and I am here to place you to a house in which you belong. I can see that you have been through enough battles to make you brave and strong. You are loyal to your friends and family, you would willingly die for them as they have for you. And sure enough, you have. Loyal, brave, and true. You have all the fine qualities of a true Gryffindor. _

(You can see inside my head?) Serenity weakly inquired, surprised that the Hat could see inside her head. It was bad enough that the Headmaster prodded inside of her head the night of her arrival, but to have the Hat retell her secrets...

_There is nothing in here that I cannot see. This is what I have been designed for, to see inside each student's mind so that I may place them in one of the four houses of this school. But do not worry, I won't tell anyone of your secret – Your Highness._

Serenity could have sworn the hat was grinning, but this was impossible – seeing as all she could see in front of her was darkness.

(Thank you...but please call me Serenity, I haven't been one for a long time.)

_Ah, but your Senshi – your comrades, call you with such formality._

(But I do insist in not being called with such formality!) Serenity argued, miffed with the Hat who merely chuckled in reply.

_Well - as I have said before, you have all the qualities of a true Gryffindor..._

Before Serenity could say anything more, a loud, "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted throughout the room, and the hat was lifted off her head.

For a few seconds, she stared at the battered old hat and frowned at the object. Really now, the hat was having fun at her expense. Yet – she couldn't help but like the old hat, he was sort of friendly. For a few seconds more, Serenity stared at the hat and to her utmost horror the hat bowed down to her before straightening up again. Letting a frown mar her features she whirled around and headed for the table that held the Gryffindors.

Serenity hoped that the other students and teachers did not see this event occur, and sighed in relief when she noticed that they did not, instead they were still cheering for her. Letting a smile grace her features, she approached the end of the table near the front and sat down after a group of students made some room for her.

Before she could properly introduce herself to these students, the Headmaster stood up to make his opening announcements. Up on the dais, Professor Dumbledore stood, looking older than she had last seen him. His eyes, held only the slightest of twinkles but his presence still held that underlying power that he was known for – as the greatest wizard of the age. And this great wizard now stood before them, his students.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! A year full of magical education awaits you..." Dumbledore began, "As you may or may not know, the Forbidden Forest is still forbidden to all students no matter what year they may be..." At this his blue eyes roamed over to the Gryffindor table settling on three particular individuals who sheepishly looked at their headmaster.

"And Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. For those who are wondering about the bans that have been made by our last professor about clubs and Quidditch – you may overlook those. Therefore, those who wish to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House, as usual. I must also add that we are looking for new Quidditch commentators," continued Dumbledore.

At this several loud cheers broke out after hearing Dumbledore's announcement that clubs may be reinstated, and Harry was happy to hear that he could return to being Seeker for his team.

"You may have also noticed that we have an additional student with us, aside from the first years..." began Dumbledore, now drawing attention from all houses as their eyes fixated between their Headmaster and the silver-blond student who sat at the front of the Gryffindor table.

Noticing his students' gaze he smiled mostly to himself before continuing, "Ms. Moon has come to us from another school – Juuban High, a muggle school located in Tokyo, Japan. Normally, we do not receive transfer students, but we have made an exception...she will be joining our fellow sixth years in Gryffindor."

Many eyes widened in surprise at their Headmaster's explanation. Muggle! Japan! And an exchange student in sixth year, no less! What was Dumbledore thinking!

"Now I will not press into these stories, I have yet to introduce you all to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year – Professor Flamel," introduced Dumbledore as his arms spread toward his right.

Professor Flamel revealed himself after his name was called, presenting himself for all to see. He had been in a separate room located at the back of the staff table. As soon as he presented himself, a sudden hush seemed to have fallen over all the Houses. For, you see, this new professor was not what anyone had in mind. For one thing, his form was not old or ragged, and his face did not hold wrinkles or lines. It was apparent to anyone that this was not what they imagined when they pictured Flamel. This _man_ was tall and slim with broad shoulders, his skin was flawless with no hint of a wrinkle in sight and he seemed to glow with an ethereal white beauty about him, and his eyes were a beautiful shade of green that seemed to match those of emeralds. It was obvious to anyone that this man was not normal, not normal at all. It also did not help matters, that the strangest part about him was his hair – they were white, a beautiful milky white that met the color of the moon itself. His hair fell back behind him, reaching up just pass his shoulders. He was simply breathtaking...

Was this man really their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Despite his hair color, he did not look to be the rumored alchemist that created the Sorcerer's Stone. He was much too young! And if he really was the famed alchemist, should he not teach Potions? Why would he teach DADA?

So – who was he?

Serenity had noticed the quiet hush that suddenly fell over the room and as her eyes studied the new professor, something nagged in the back of her head. As if, she knew this man. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the ageless features that befell this certain professor, he was tall, handsome, and his eyes – emerald green. He had a playful smile upon his face and he held himself at ease as he continued to stand there, letting others bathe in the sight of what would soon be their professor as soon as Monday rolled around, it was Friday night after all.

(Easy going, a smile on his face, green eyes, and white hair... why did all those features seem familiar? Surely, I have not met a Flamel before...) Serenity argued with herself. She couldn't help but feel confused. (Do I know him from ... my own world?)

Dumbledore noticed the confusion running amok in the Great Hall, and was clearly amused due to the incessant twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. He was having just too much fun with this introduction.

"If I may have your attention once again, I can finish Professor Flamel's introduction," Dumbledore smiled, earning many eyes to fall upon him but quite a few still remained transfixed by Flamel's relaxed posture, "First of all, this man before you is not Nicolas Flamel."

If Dumbledore did not get all their attention before, he certainly had them now as all eyes swiftly shifted from Flamel and unto Dumbledore. He could not help but chuckle at the sight that greeted him.

"However, Professor Flamel is related to our famed alchemist. Professor Flamel is his nephew, Perrier Artemus Flamel," Dumbledore concluded, "And with that – let the feast begin!"

At those words, the food magically appeared as soon as Dumbledore settled himself back onto his chair followed closely by their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher – Perrier Artemus Flamel.

(Artemus?) Serenity stared wide-eyed at the new professor.

(Could he be...Artemis?) Serenity softly wondered to herself.

Trying to keep herself in order, Serenity reached over for some food, piling them one after another. Before she realized what she was doing, Serenity had a large portion of potatoes and chicken on her plate, and she was about to reach over for a dessert plate across from her, but stopped herself.

She had to stop herself from jumping to conclusions! How could it be possible that Artemis was in this dimension, this time, this place? And in a human form? Then again...

Serenity turned her head to the new Professor and let her eyes linger on him. He really did look like the Artemis she remembered, at least if he had a human form... If Luna managed to have a human form, surely Artemis had one as well. But how did he accomplish such a feat if she did not grant one to him? Could he have been reborn into this world? If so, have the others?

Serenity's eyes widened and hope began to seep into her heart, but just as soon as her secret desire presented itself it died away. Such a possibility could not happen, after all her Senshi were a part of herself – if anyone were to be alive from her world that died from the battle, it would not be her protectors.

"Serenity, Serenity are you alright?" Someone was trying to get her attention, whoever it was. She did not remember introducing herself to her classmates, formally anyway.

Turning around, Serenity faced a few curious onlookers who were obviously worried about her. Sheepishly, she held a slight blush and muttered an apology.

"Do you know the new professor?" a teen with red hair and freckles blurted out, earning a sharp reprimand from a bushy-haired girl.

"The new professor?" Serenity quirked an eyebrow before smiling towards the red headed boy, he was amusing – speaking out before thinking, kind of how she and Minako used to be, "No, I don't think I do – but he does look familiar. I'm sure I never met a Perrier Flamel before."

"Don't mind him, I'm Hermione Granger, by the way," Hermione introduced herself but took the time to glare at her friend who blushed and looked sheepishly at Serenity.

"Sorry... I'm Ronald Weasley, but call me Ron. Ron Weasley," Ron took the hint from Hermione and introduced himself before pointing toward two others who actually sat next to where she was sitting, "And those two are Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter."

"Hey," the two others both greeted at the same time before turning to each other and letting a small grin adorn their faces.

Serenity turned to greet the two with a gracious nod before recalling something the Professors told her.

Harry Potter. That name sounded awfully familiar...

(Oh, he's the one that Professor Binns actually told me about in a recent history lesson. He is the one called The-Boy-Who-Lived, the one who vanquished the Dark Lord in the first war. However, he practically lost everything dear to him - a family.) Serenity recalled.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm Serenity Moon – I guess I'm your new classmate!" Serenity turned to regard her new classmates, hoping they would become her new friends she turned on the biggest smile that she could manage.

(Maybe, I can start helping this world by befriending them... After all, I've got to start somewhere, right?) Serenity mused.

Unknown to anyone, emerald green eyes discreetly observed the young silvery-blond hair in question. A small twinge of sadness apparent in emerald-green orbs.

"""""""""""

Serenity let out a sigh of relief as she looked down at the piece of parchment that just arrived a few minutes ago. Her OWL scores had arrived and she could not have been more relieved that she had managed to scrape by with acceptable scores. True, they were not Outstanding but at least she passed, given the amount of time she was left in prepping herself.

"Those are your OWL scores, what'd you get?" Hermione prodded, sitting across from her as she bit into her piece of toast.

"Ah? Oh, you can go see for yourself," Serenity carelessly gave the girl her OWL scores, not really caring, now that she saw her scores for herself.

Hermione flattened out the badly treated piece of parchment and looked down at her new classmate's score:

Astronomy: P

Charms: E

Defence Against the Dark Arts: A

Herbology: A

History of Magic: A

Potions: A

Transfiguration: E

"Six Owls?" Hermione murmured with faintly growing interest at the girl before her, "You only took the OWL for seven courses, when the normal amount is a possible nine. How did you manage that?"

Serenity blinked, not comprehending what Hermione was asking, "I guess because I took the OWLs at a later date. No one in the Ministry knew I was a witch when I came here from Japan, so they made me an exception and let me take the OWL exam."

Hermione stared in disbelief at her before shaking her head and giving her back her scores.

"Is it that bad?" Serenity asked, biting her bottom lip in anxiety.

"Oh no – not at all. For being a new witch and taking the OWLs over the summer, it's really amazing that you managed to pass almost all of them. How did you manage?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I stayed here for most of the summer. Most of the Professors prepped me so I could scrape by during the school year. I don't see why they bothered; I could have just come in as a first year, couldn't I?" Serenity explained.

"Well – it is unheard of, but not altogether impossible. Could you really see yourself in the first year class?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm, I guess not. It would be pretty odd, but I doubt I could catch up to everyone," Serenity sighed, prodding at her food – she had already eaten two servings before the owls came in.

"That's why there's remedial classes," came a groggy Ron followed by Harry who placed themselves next to each other beside Hermione.

"Yeah, remedial... I heard that already from the Headmaster," Serenity whined and took a bite out of breakfast.

"So you're going to take remedial courses?" Ron seemed to have woken up to that, staring at the girl before her incredulously, "What did she get?!" Ron reached out his hand to take the OWL scores that still laid on the table between Serenity and Hermione but was stopped by the bushy-haired Gryffindor Prefect.

"It's not that surprising, now that I think about it. You're taking them because you still have a lot to cover, right?" Hermione reasonably explained and received a nod in return.

"I guess so; I actually didn't take Potions, Astronomy, or Defense Against the Dark Arts. I hardly paid attention in History of Magic... so I pretty much had to do what I can in those classes. Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology... well the teachers were on campus, so they had me study day in and day out until OWL week," Serenity explained.

"Wow, that's harsh. Having to give up vacation to study... but isn't OWLs over 3 weeks?" Ron cried out, earning many stares.

"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded again, while Harry rolled his eyes.

"Dumbledore probably got the Ministry to give her some leverage," Harry explained to which Serenity nodded.

"Headmaster was kind enough to let me take the OWLs, even though I wasn't his official student at the time. He even let me stay here over the summer..." Serenity smiled as she turned her head to see the elderly man talk to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall.

"How..." Ron began but snapped his mouth shut when he noticed that both Harry and Hermione were giving him a warning look. Keeping his mouth shut, he instead reached over and began to eat his breakfast – he was hungry, after all.

"It's nice of you guys to actually talk to me, seeing as I'm new to this world and everything," Serenity conversed.

"It's nothing," Hermione waved it off; secretly she had a sneaking suspicion about this girl before her. She was sure the others did too, but they refused to say anything.

After all, how could Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff let a transfer student – much less, a sixth year – come to Hogwarts? And judging from the scores she received, how did she learn enough OWL level spells to pass, even if she was trained over the summer by their own Professors every single day? Hermione could only think that this girl was not any regular girl.

So if Serenity was not a regular girl, what was she? Did she already know spells before her arrival? If so, how come she still needed to take remedial courses?

Hermione inwardly sighed to herself; Serenity was complex – a puzzle. And although this was thoroughly exhausting to figure out, Hermione was not the type to give up so easily, and she was sure that her two best friends would not.

After all, they learned over the years not to trust someone new so easily...

Hermione inwardly winced from flashbacks of Quirrell, Lockhart, Scabbers, a fake Mad-Eye Moody... and, of course, Kreacher. Kreacher – to think that the house-elf could be so sly as to pass on information to another. All because of his guarded hatred for Sirius Black.

The past was the past, there was nothing any of them could do but learn from their mistakes and move on. From the corner of her eye, Hermione took a peek at Harry – Harry was actually dealing with the loss of Sirius better than they had expected. She assumed that the summer vacation did some good for her best friend, and maybe, maybe he could grow stronger from all of this.

"Ms. Moon?" McGonagall's voice shook Hermione from her reverie as she along with a few of their classmates stared at their Head of House who came to address their newest addition.

"Professor..." Serenity nodded in greeting.

"If you will come with me..." McGonagall softly, yet firmly said before handing Hermione and Ron some stacks of paper that would hold their schedules.

Serenity nodded and apologized to her new friends before following Professor McGonagall through the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Where do you think they're going?" Harry whispered to Neville who merely shrugged in reply.

"Professor McGonagall may want to talk to her about her remedial classes, I heard Serenity is taking a ton of them this year and over winter break," guessed Ginny as she scooted over to sit near them before returning back to her class schedule, "Double Potions with Slytherin? Isn't it bad enough that we have Snape for Potions?"

"Just imagine him dressed up in my grandmother's dress topped off with her hat," Neville grinned supportively.

"You sure changed, Nev," Harry grinned, recalling their third year when Neville faced the Boggart only to have the creature turn into Snape. The whole class laughed when Snape was dressed just like Neville's grandmother.

Neville could only blush at his friend's compliment, he never did receive that many.

"""""""""

Serenity sat across from Professor McGonagall who was shuffling through sheets of papers until she pulled out a single parchment – Serenity Moon's OWL results and quickly ran through her scores. A small smile tugged on the woman's lips before she regarded the girl that sat before her.

"Ms. Moon, you may have an inkling as to why you are here," McGonagall began as she eyed the girl in front of her. She secretly had to admit that she was proud of Serenity's OWL scores, given the time frame that she had.

"Yes, Professor... it's about my schedule for my remedial classes." Serenity softly answered.

"I'm afraid that the schedule may be a bit... harsh. Therefore, your classes will need to be limited," McGonagall tactfully replied.

Given, the girl had managed to do remarkably well in her exams for her first time, but OWL scores could not be retaken – it was a strict and inflexible rule, but it was a rule that needed to be followed. You may have it rescheduled within good reason, but other than that there was absolutely no special circumstances given to any witch or wizard. Therefore, Serenity Moon had to be stuck with her scores.

"Let us begin with your NEWT level classes, shall we?" McGonagall looked down on an application sheet on her table and then consulted Serenity's OWL results.

"Transfiguration is fine as well as Charms; you have met Professor Flitwick's and my expectations with 'Exceeds Expectations'. However, there are problems with your other classes," she sadly informed the young teenager, "I have talked with the other professors, and I must say they are most difficult to deal with, other than Herbology – Professor Sprout is more than happy to accept you with an Acceptable. She felt that you would have done well, given the time..."

"What about Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Serenity tentatively inquired. She didn't understand why she cared about her other classes – she never really cared about school before, but she felt that they were important subjects, and wanted to know more about them.

"I am afraid that Professor Snape absolutely will not accept additional students who have not met his requirements. However, he has lowered the bar to those with 'Exceeds Expectations'. Due to your score, he will not accept you," Professor McGonagall let a frown mar her usually stoic face.

"I see... does that also apply to Professor Flamel?" Serenity asked, afraid of the answer.

"Ah, I have just recently spoken to him before I managed to speak with you. He was hesitant at first, but agreed on only one condition," Professor McGonagall informed her, a touch of a smile on her face.

"A condition?" Serenity asked, wondering if she really wanted to know.

"Seeing as you have not taken a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts class, you will of course need to take remedial classes for your subjects. However, Professor Flamel will want you take an additional class with him," McGonagall relayed to the teenager, "If you are willing, you may take the NEWT level class with Professor Flamel but with an additional class on the subject."

"If I don't take the class – how else will I get a proper schedule, right Professor?" Serenity allowed a small smile to play itself on her lips as she tried to make this situation a little bit better.

"Very well then," Professor McGonagall nodded as she noted it in a section of her mind before addressing the young teen once more, "As for your remedial courses... you will need to take the usual courses of Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology – seeing as we have only taught you what we perceived to be in the tests. However, there is still quite a few more spells that you may need to learn. In addition, you will need to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts remedial course with Professor Flamel – hopefully he will prove capable of teaching the class – with an extra slot as we have discussed beforehand. And finally, you will need to take Potions."

"Potions, Professor?" Serenity voiced aloud, "But I don't meet the requirements for NEWT level."

"Yes, you don't have an official class with Professor Snape, but that does not mean that you can escape the basics of potion making." McGonagall explained to the young teenager, "This is quite a number of classes, Ms. Moon, but it is necessary if you want to catch up to your classmates."

"Will the remedial courses continue throughout the whole year, Professor?" Serenity asked.

"We shall see," McGonagall tersely replied, "But for now, I have taken the liberty of arranging your remedial courses. I am afraid to say that most of them will take place during the weekend."

"The weekend?" Serenity's eyes widened, she had to give up her weekend for remedial courses?

"I am afraid so. It will have to take place on Saturday, starting before lunch and late afternoon to night."

"I suppose it can't be helped," Serenity sighed, throwing her hands around in a helpless manner.

Nodding, Professor McGonagall stared at the blank parchment and took her wand. With a quick tap on the paper, she was done and handed the paper for her to view.

"Thank you, Professor," Serenity murmured as she got up from her seat, and followed the Professor out of her office and back to the Great Hall where most of the students still remained. It would appear that all of the sixth and seventh year remained where they were.

"Now if you will all line up against my office, I shall receive each of you in turn..." Professor McGonagall announced before leaving Serenity in her wake.

It seemed that Serenity was the first amongst many students who were waiting for their turn in deciding what courses they were going to take that year. Shrugging it off, Serenity turned away from the Great Hall and back to the Gryffindor Common Room. She might as well get started, she had a feeling it was going to be a long year.

Glancing at her class schedule she mentally groaned. She had to take Remedial Potions after dinner with Professor Snape, Remedial Transfiguration after breakfast on Wednesdays followed by Remedial DADA after dinner. Remedial courses of Charms, Herbology, and an extra course of DADA would all be on a Saturday.

Her first year in Hogwarts as a sixth year is going to be hard, she just knew it.

To be continued...

"""""""""""""""""

Modified April 12, 2008.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Needed

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 3: Closer

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter. Takes place after fifth year, with a few borrowed parts from the sixth year.

Modified April 30, 2008.

""""""""""""

Hogwarts was a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the most prestigious and safest institutions in all of Europe. Rumor has it that the castle cannot be found thanks to muggle repelling and disillusionment charms tied together with other defensive spells to ward unwanted eyes. Moreover, Hogwarts is capable of defense when necessary. Aside from the fact that the castle has the Forbidden Forest and the Whomping Willow, the castle itself hosts a number of students and teachers capable of performing magic – that, and the House Elves alongside live armors and gargoyles are able to defend the castle themselves. That is, if enemies ever get so far as the inside of the castle. What else is there? Who knows, but Hogwarts is probably the safest place there is – aside from Gringotts.

All of this information was gathered through word-of-mouth from Serenity's growing friend, Hermione Granger, introducing her to a book titled Hogwarts, A History. For the past three weeks Serenity surrounded herself amidst piles of homework while still trying to attain knowledge of how the Wizarding world worked. She had to admit that a lot of the information that she found from Hermione or any other classmate was, by far, more intriguing than she would have imagined. For instance, the fact muggles unknowingly lived alongside wizards for so many centuries, or how wizarding sites were placed near common muggle surroundings! It was amazing how muggles could live day by day with no indication that magic was being cast around them. Of course, if they happened to find out, the Ministry would sort the problem with well-placed _Obliviate_ spells.

In between Serenity's research, she found interesting stories about the Founders – Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin – the four talented wizards and witches each possessed amazing powers and created Hogwarts from scratch. The Hat, Serenity was surprised to have found out, was created through a combined effort by the Founders and through their strong powers it was still active to this day. That particular information set Serenity's mind spinning as to how the Hat could still be active – how powerful were the Founders, really? She needed to find a way to talk to the Sorting Hat, wondering if the age-old device could provide any useful information for her in this world. Surely, if that Hat had been around for the past millenium it had to know _something_ besides where to put incoming students every year.

"Serenity?" a timid voice called out, shaking the girl from her reverie. Serenity didn't know that she had been blanking out in breakfast for the past five minutes.

"Ah, sorry... Neville, is it time for Transfiguration?" Serenity inquired the sturdy-built teen; she had heard occasional comments from other students about how much he had changed. This bit of information was quite amusing, knowing that she herself had changed from her previous past as a klutzy air-head formerly known as Tsukino Usagi.

"Not really, I was just wondering why you were taking Remedial Potions with Professor Snape. I noticed you weren't in class, but you still have to take Remedial classes," Neville casually asked, not quite meeting the silvery-blond haired girl's eyes.

"I was wondering when someone was going to ask that," Serenity heartily laughed, "I asked the same thing when Professor McGonagall was discussing my classes. Unfortunately, she told me that I had to know some basics of Potions... and Professor Snape is not an easy teacher – he's more of a..."

"A git?" Ron intercepted as he leaned over and voiced his comment, "Where have you been all this time? We've been complaining about him for weeks now!"

"I guess I was too busy?" Serenity meekly supplied, letting a blush seep in.

Truthfully, she wasn't too concerned about current affairs as much as the history of the Wizarding world. Whenever Voldemort and his Death Eaters were mentioned, she would listen with rapt attention. However, when it came to anything else... her mind would drift off, wondering about Chaos. Her first step in the task was to know all she could about Hogwarts and the History of the Wizarding world. After that, maybe she would have a better understanding as to where Voldemort could be residing. Wouldn't her past comrades do the same, had they been in her situation? Serenity hoped so.

"Yeah, Ron! Even if Serenity isn't taking as many courses as us, she still has to take Remedial classes. After all, she comes from a place that doesn't have a firm grasp of their powers," Hermione scolded, offering an apologetic smile toward the girl who merely waved it off.

"That's true – my culture mostly deals with wild magic. Only a few know how to perform magic, if any. Those who do are mostly familiar with simple divination and healing arts – rather than defense," Serenity murmured.

"So how did you come to be here, exactly?" Hermione tentatively broached the subject that not many people dared to ask. Earlier in the week, many people had approached Serenity with that very same question, but she had mostly side-stepped the question or a professor just happened to come at the very same time – being either McGonagall or the headmaster himself. This tactic had become obvious to many students, only piquing their interest even more but decided not to press on the matter until another time. Obviously, that time would be now.

"Truthfully?" Serenity sighed, sounding tired and helpless.

Biting her bottom lip, Serenity scanned many faces that held disbelief and shock – all wondering what she was keeping from them. Her focus rested on Harry Potter who didn't seem at all perturbed and had, in fact, turned his attention on his food more. For a brief moment, Serenity wondered about the famed Boy-Who-Lived. Ever since her arrival, Harry hadn't given her a moment's notice. A mere "hello, how are you" or something along the lines before focusing his attention on his work or conversing with someone else. He was cordial, but altogether distant compared to everyone else. Even after 3 weeks of correspondence the messy dark-haired wizard had not bothered with her, making Serenity grimace in thought. She had hoped, faintly, that he would – knowing that his relationship with the Dark Lord ran deeper than anyone else's.

"Well, aren't you going to tell us?!" Ron cried out, interrupting Serenity's thoughts as she shook her head and sheepishly stared at the red-head.

"You know, maybe that can be best left for another time," grinned Serenity only to be met with scowls and Serenity couldn't help but laugh at all of them, "No, no... actually, I came here because of something that happened at home..."

That held everyone's interest in the Gryffindor table – at least those that were close enough to listen to Serenity's soft voice after her laughter died out. Even Harry Potter, who had been picking at his food, turned his head to listen to the silver-haired teenager.

(Something happened...?) Harry wondered.

"The UK isn't the only place that has troubles, you know?" Serenity smiled, knowing her smile was fake, "Japan has its own problems, but we deal with it in our own way..."

At that, the silver-haired teen picked up her bag and dashed off before anyone could say or do anything. The only one who reacted fast enough was Harry who shook himself from his dazed expression before following the girl – knowing she would probably run off to Transfigurations.

(I can't believe I actually said that! What was I thinking? That was too close to the truth... so very close.) Serenity berated herself, her eyes filling up with unshed tears as she began to slow down. Memories of her past started to present itself, all her battles, all her hardships, all the good and the bad that she had met. Memories that she knew would never come back into her life.

"Ms. Moon," a deep voice startled the silvery-blond haired girl from her stupor and she blinked up to find herself staring at her Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor – Perrier Artemus Flamel. After three weeks of being in his class, he had never shown any sign of familiarity – making her previous thoughts of him as Artemis disappear. If Professor Flamel really was Artemis, surely it wouldn't take this long for him to approach her and introduce himself as Artemis.

"Professor Flamel," Serenity nodded in greeting before continuing on down the hall, heading for Transfiguration even though class wouldn't start for another half hour. She faintly recalled that Professor McGonagall was still in the Great Hall.

"Is something the matter?" a flash of concern passed through green eyes that bore down on the young teenager.

"Not at all, Professor – just thinking," Serenity murmured softly, knowing that her words were clearly not up to par and would be seen as a poor excuse.

"Would you care to talk about it?" Professor Flamel offered, a small supportive smile gracing his fair features.

"Thank you Professor, perhaps later," Serenity declined before continuing down the hall.

"I shall hold your word to that... Ms. Moon." Professor Flamel called out before he, himself, headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Shaking his head he turned the corner and morphed into a white-furred, green-eyed cat with a faint crescent moon on its forehead. The white cat stretched a bit before continuing on its trek down Hogwarts' hallway.

After having left Professor Flamel's company, Serenity was – once again – lost in her thoughts. She dearly missed having her old friends and her family. Sure, the Wizarding World was completely amazing, more than she really expected. Flying brooms, new games, moving pictures and staircases, this world was just that... amazing.

Despite this new discovery, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of regret that she was alive. It was foretold by Fate that she exists only to protect the world that she loves and become the immortal entity – Cosmos. Serenity already knew her newfound future; Pluto told her after much hesitancy from the Guardian of the Time Gates. The Outer Senshi had informed her before she died that her future had drastically changed. Then, right before her reincarnation, the Outer Senshi had informed her how her future had been altered – leading to the information that she would now and forever be known as Cosmos.

Of course, her friends would one day be reincarnated – picking up a new life, new identity, and new path. Serenity would look forward to their future, but they would no longer be Senshis, would no longer be the same as before, but their star crystals would shine just the same – her friends would still be warm and bright. However, however... they would no longer remember her, and she had no intention of reminding them. They didn't need to be reminded of the hardships they endured, the pain they had suffered together through the hordes of monsters they were forced to defeat. The sacrifices they needed to make for the greater of the good... Serenity suppressed a shudder, recalling those horrific moments when her Senshi sacrificed themselves in order for Sailor Moon to continue in her path to destroy the main villain.

"Serenity?"

Serenity almost jumped at the unexpected voice and turned around to stare at none other than Harry Potter. She deftly wondered what he was doing here but decided to restrain herself, they were in the Transfiguration classroom after all.

"Harry..." Serenity nodded in acknowledgment before taking out their transfiguration book and homework.

"You run pretty fast..." Harry offered a supportive grin at the teen, taking a seat right next to her. Something that Serenity was pretty sure, the teenage boy never did – Harry usually sat next to Ron and Hermione and she, herself, sitting next to the bright witch.

"Thanks, I did a lot of running in my days," Serenity grinned, briefly reminiscing the times when she would run down the street for school or for a meeting with her friends, "I'm usually late for class and appointments..."

"I remember when I was late for Transfiguration, me and Ron ran in class thinking Professor McGonagall wasn't in yet... we were wrong, it turned out she was an Animagus," Harry chuckled at the memory of his first year, it seemed so long ago.

Serenity joined in the laughter, smiling brightly toward the teenager she believed would never give her the time of day. Yet, here he was obviously trying to make her feel better after the little bit of information she let loose in the Great Hall about her morbid past. She was grateful that he never pressured her into revealing her whole past; then again, she would probably have countered by questioning his own. She was pretty sure that he didn't want his privacy invaded, especially to someone who was practically a stranger.

"An Animagus...?" Serenity tentatively inquired, she faintly recalled Professor McGonagall mentioning it but didn't really pay too much attention – she was busy trying to focus on transforming an object in front of her at the time.

"I do believe, Ms. Moon, that I have lectured you on what an Animagus is during one of our Remedial sessions," Professor McGonagall's voice intruded on the two students as she walked into the classroom, her black cloak gracefully following the elder woman's form.

"I apologize, Professor... I believe my mind had run away with me during our sessions," Serenity blushed.

Professor McGonagall's brow gracefully curved upwards as she stared at the young teen before she set a case down on her table.

"An Animagus is a high level transfiguration in which a witch or wizard becomes an animal form. An Animagus transfiguration is highly complicated and can be performed wandlessly," McGonagall began her lecture and briefly transformed into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes. After a brief demonstration she reverted back into a human and continued, "As you may have noticed, an Animagus still retains his or her clothing and so on throughout the transformation. The reasoning behind this is that the transfiguration process moves the clothing into a _wizard space_. Not much is known about this detail, so we shall not go further into the subject..."

"Wizard space, Professor?" Serenity asked, wondering why she never heard of this before.

"Surely you have witnessed this before?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow, "Have you not noticed that no matter how many students are in this room or in any other place in Hogwarts... there is still enough space to move around? That is wizard space..."

Serenity blinked as she processed this information, the professor's reasoning seemed valid enough, "What you're trying to say, Professor... is that when you transform into an Animagus your clothing shifts around to make room for your animal form? Does this also mean that an Animagus' physical condition also shifts to reflect your human shape?"

Professor McGonagall blinked several times, digesting the question that the young teenager just asked before letting a tug of a smile appear on her usual stern facade, "You are absolutely right, Ms. Moon. Five points to Gryffindor for your sharp perception. Now if you will excuse me, I have a class to prepare for."

Turning around, the Transfiguration professor began to set up for the class – today they were going to hear a lecture and demonstration of transfiguring an object not only into an animal but one that could be controlled, much like an overprotective animal that would jump in to save your life.

"Hey Harry," Serenity began, catching the teenager's attention; apparently he started in on a homework while she was talking with the professor.

"Hmm?" Harry turned his attention from a Charm's paper he was currently working in. She faintly recalled Professor Flitwick had given them out last Wednesday – meaning, it would be due tomorrow. Good thing she finished the five foot roll of parchment last Saturday after her Remedial Charms.

"Thank you for cheering me up," Serenity beamed down at Harry who flushed at her words, "I didn't think that... I would still..."

"You don't need to say anything; it only brings the memories up..." Harry shook his head and put his quill down, knowing he probably should stop doing his homework – there was only 10 more minutes until class began.

"Still – thanks."

After a small exchange of a smile, students began to arrive, taking seats in the roomy Transfiguration room.

"""""""""""

A week more had passed, not much had changed between the two students since the incident in the Transfiguration class. Life went on; classes were still in session, nothing more had changed.

Serenity had come to a conclusion after a month of Remedial classes, extra sessions with Professor Flamel, and her NEWT level classes – she was swamped. In the beginning, everything was fine and completely balanced but after three weeks her schedule went hay-wire. At first, she wholeheartedly believed that she could handle the delay in her homework by cutting back on sleep and eating – something that was very difficult for her, seeing as her favorite pastime was to sleep and eat – but that train of thought vanished in the middle of the week. She completely cracked and had to be hurriedly administered into Madame Pomfrey's care, forcing the young teen to take a Calming Drought.

"Really now, NEWT level classes and Remedial classes? What was the Headmaster thinking?" Madame Pomfrey muttered darkly to herself as she attended to the silver-blond haired teen.

"I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey. At first, I really thought I could handle this – really, I did!" Serenity apologized, feeling sorry for hindering the Mediwitch from her duties.

"You shouldn't apologize, dear. Especially since you have done nothing wrong, now now... let's check you over," Madame Pomfrey waved her wand around and a hologram of some sort appeared before the witch who checked it over, nodding absently from time to time.

"Just checking your vital and health signs... Everything seems to be in order; you may leave once you are ready. Please be more careful next time, health is just as important as your studies," Madame Pomfrey softly chastised the young teen, as Serenity slipped off the bed and proceeded to put on her shoes and tying her hair back to its original hairstyle – her odangoes.

"Thank you, I'll try to... NEWT levels are so much more complicated... it's a wonder I barely even manage to write enough to pass with an Acceptable or Exceeds Expectations," Serenity gave a wry grin at the Mediwitch before leaving for the Common Room – she would need to finish writing her essay for Transfiguration class.

The rest of that fourth week, Serenity kept Madame Pomfrey's words to heart, even if it was tempting enough to ignore her health and finish up her studies.

Reflecting back on that week, Serenity was right to think that she was swamped with work. Her homework never seemed to diminish; they simply built up as teachers assigned more and more work. The only class that seemed to be remotely easy was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Flamel. However, that was probably because she had an extra class with the young Professor who would help her during their designated time. Although he did give her this extra session, he never gave her additional homework – unlike Potions with Snape. Instead, that extra time slot was used for more practical use in the art of defense and she had progressed nicely, and after performing the spells successfully, Professor Flamel would explain the reasoning and theory behind the spells to better understand its uses. If Professor Flamel was not teaching her new spells, he would be helping her out with the work that he had assigned or any other one she had trouble in.

Overall, Serenity believed that even if Perrier Artemus Flamel was not Artemis she still thought of him as a dear friend rather than a professor. Ever since their brief encounter a week ago, Professor Flamel was more eager in talking about his life rather than just talking about subject matter covered in class and in school. She discovered that he majored in Defense Against the Dark Arts rather than becoming a full-fledged apprentice to his uncle – Nicolas Flamel – because Alchemy was not what he first thought it to be. There was too many measurements and patience involved compared to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Not to mention, trying to decipher the words in his favored uncle's alchemy books that contained the secret of the Elixir of Life was too much of a waste compared to discovering new spells that could be learned every day, or at least, every week.

"Life is better spent with someone else, rather than poring over books," Professor Flamel shrugged after he finished explaining his reasoning about giving up his search for the Elixir of Life, something that not even his uncle revealed to him or the rest of his family.

Reminiscing back on her dear professor's words, Serenity decided to take him for his offer that he made awhile ago – to just talk to Professor Flamel. Maybe it'll make her feel better to talk about something from her past, even if she had to sugar coat and alter it a bit. Putting away her half-thought out Herbology paper, Serenity prepared herself for Professor Flamel's office on the third floor.

"Serenity, where are you going?" Hermione's voice called out from near the fireplace, she had obviously been working on the Transfiguration assignment along with her two best friends – Ron and Harry.

"I was just about to visit Professor Flamel in his office, he should be there at this time," Serenity shrugged after glancing at the clock located above the fire place – 8:00pm on a Sunday night. Thank Selene that there was a Sunday to catch up on lost work! Herbology was just the last bit of writing assignment that she had to work on, but she was sure that once Monday comes around, a new horde would present itself to the young witch.

"Make sure that you come back before 9:30, the Headmaster changed the curfew, remember?" Hermione reminded Serenity who nodded with a faint grimace. Really now, they were 16 and yet they had to be back at the Common Room by 9:30!

"I remember, Hermione, thanks..." Serenity murmured before exiting the Gryffindor Room in the 7th floor. She would have to walk all those steps down to the third floor, hopefully Professor Flamel was down there or else she'd have to trudge back up.

As Serenity walked down the steps, making sure that the staircases were stable enough to step on – she was warned sometime near the beginning of the year that there were rickety steps. She noticed, first hand, that the staircases sometimes liked to move around even if there were groups of students on there. Pursing her lips, Serenity began formulating a good excuse to visit Professor Flamel, she couldn't very well just come into his office without a topic to talk about, could she?

Just as the silvery-blond teen stepped on the third floor she noticed a flash of white turn the corner. Curious as to what it could be, Serenity began to follow, she could have sworn that it was a white tail.

(A white tail? Mrs. Norris and Professor McGonagall aren't white cats – they have darker colors!) Serenity argued with herself, suppressing down the hope that maybe it could be Artemis.

Turning the corner, Serenity was surprised to see a white cat with green eyes staring right up at her, on its forehead was a crescent moon.

A crescent moon.

That was all Serenity could register in her mind, it didn't bother her that the cat transformed into her professor, nor did she notice her guilt-stricken professor try to come up with a poor excuse for his Animagus transformation. All that she could vividly remember was the white cat carrying a crescent moon on its forehead, on Professor Flamel's Animagus form's forehead.

Then just as suddenly, as she found herself sitting on a chair right across from Professor Flamel's desk, Serenity's mind stopped swirling around with the vivid image as a conclusion rested on her mind.

"You're Artemis!" Serenity hissed as her crystalline blue eyes narrowed at the young, ageless man who stared guiltily on his cherry wood table.

He merely nodded, confirming what she said. He secretly knew that he couldn't deny his past any longer.

"Why...?" Serenity's harsh words lessened after seeing the sullen look that her professor gave her, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to. Would you say anything to a student, a person who is practically a stranger to you about recalling a past life – much less one that involved a past life as a talking cat? Even in the Wizarding world there is no such thing as a talking cat! Much less one that bears a crescent moon on his forehead!" Professor Flamel, also known as Artemis, spat bitterly to the shocked teenager, "Look, this is all kind of hard to take in. Even I find it hard to believe that I used to be a Guardian cat for some blond haired girl..."

"Her name was Minako..." Serenity barely said above a whisper, recalling Venus, how she missed the bubbly blond.

"Minako...I remember... she was the first one, wasn't she?" Green eyes sadly stared up at Serenity.

"We didn't meet up with her until Luna and I found the others, she was still fighting in the UK, or Great Britain as it was known back then," Serenity chocked back a sob as memories swirled around her, taunting her with vivid images of a past that she cannot return to.

"Luna...the other Guardian..." Long white hair fell down over his face as he shakily tried to stand up from his sitting position; memories from a past so long ago seemed to have resurfaced. The young professor unclenched and clenched his hands, wanting to forget a past that he is no longer a part of but cannot help but remember. Oh, how he remembered his past love – Luna. He never did tell her he loved her.

"Is she here?" Serenity fought down the urge to cry openly, knowing that if she did she probably wouldn't stop. She couldn't afford to cry, not here, not now, not when she had a duty to fulfill.

"I'm afraid I'm the only one here... I'm the only one who was reborn," the professor looked up from his ungraded papers only to stare at tearful crystalline blue eyes.

"Oh, Merlin Artemis... I miss them, I miss them so much," Serenity finally broke down before wrapping her arms around herself and began to openly cry. Crying for her past, crying for a future that would never happen, crying for her family, and crying for friends. The friends she knew would never be the same, they would never remember her, never remember the bond that they shared. And she knew they would never become what they were then – no, that duty was now left to her and only to her. But she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for them that they could never recall their powers, how could she? She envied them for their happiness; no matter how short-lived it would be – having a normal lifespan of a Muggle. They would live and die, at most, to a 100 – old, withered but happy. Yes, her friends would be happy in the future after their rebirth. She would pray to Selene that they would live a happy, fulfilled life and she would watch over them.

"They'll find happiness, won't they?" Serenity looked up, tear-streaked, at green eyes before throwing herself to her grief-stricken professor's arms.

He could only offer a numb nod of his head before burying his face into her hair – smelling her strawberry and chocolate scented hair. Incoherent whispers of assurance escaped his lips but were left unheard as the young teenager continued expressing her repressed sadness, the two magical beings reminiscing a past that they would always remember.

"""""""""""

Coming back from her encounter with Professor Flamel, Serenity wistfully smiled at having found someone from her past. Even though none of her old friends have been reborn into this world, she felt almost at peace now that she found at least one person or cat to talk to. She could always turn to Artemis... erm, Professor Flamel just as she used to do with Luna.

Smiling to herself, Serenity mentally shook her head of the image of her old Guardian and found herself standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

"Bravery," Serenity uttered the password with a large smile.

"Have a good evening," the portrait nodded to the young teen before swinging open.

"Good evening," nodded Serenity before stepping into the Gryffindor Common Room, feeling more alive and at tune with herself. Smiling brightly, Serenity realized that she was more at peace over her current situation more than ever before.

(I'm not alone anymore...) Serenity realized as she felt the warmth coming from the fireplace and found herself staring into vivid green eyes, (...now I can truly move on with my life in this new world.)

"Hey," Harry's soft voice greeted Serenity's ears.

The moment she came in, Harry knew that it could only be Serenity. He didn't completely understand why he just _knew_ that it was her, the only plausible reason he could come up with was that... she said she'd be back by curfew. All the other students that he recognized had long since come back, so he figured that it was her. Which was why Harry found himself striding across the Common Room from his seat to greet her.

Why did he do that? Harry found himself wondering why himself. He had no real reason to, only that he felt drawn to the girl. Ever since their small conversation in the Transfiguration Room and seeing her smile and hearing her laugh, he felt a small connection toward Serenity. As if being in her presence was enough to make him feel comfortable and more at ease.

(Merlin, I can't be falling for her... can I? I don't even know her that well!) Harry inwardly screamed, his green eyes slightly widening at the mere thought. (No, no... maybe I only see her as a potential friend... yes, a friend... like Hermione and Ron.)

Processing this new possibility, Harry calmed down. True, he felt comfortable around his friends and maybe Serenity could be a part of his group. He had seen her hanging around with some of the others, even befriending other people from different houses. Despite all the classes that she needed to juggle through and trying to get used to the Wizarding world, Serenity still had an aura of friendliness that people couldn't help but be drawn to. It was because of that kind of personality that people couldn't help but be courteous towards her, even some of the younger Slytherins. The older ones, however, merely glared, ignored, or gave her a cold shoulder. None has, as of yet, approached her – and hopefully it remains that way.

Shaking himself from his stupor, Harry was now in front of her and found that he had already greeted her.

"Harry, done with your work?" Serenity greeted and glanced over his shoulder to find that Ron was still trying to finish up while Hermione was reviewing some sort of homework assignment, quite possibly Harry's.

"Yeah, Hermione is looking over it right now," Harry replied, momentarily looking toward Hermione's direction.

"You're lucky to have such friends," Serenity commented as she stared at Harry's friends, "Don't take them for granted."

Harry faltered for a moment, wondering if she meant something deeper in those words.

"...Hermione and Ron are like my own family. I'm lucky to have them," Harry truthfully responded and at his words Serenity smiled brightly, her crystalline blue eyes practically glowing.

"That's great Harry..." Serenity nodded before turning around and started for the Girl's dorms until Harry's hands shot out and held her still, "Harry?"

"I was wondering..." Harry began, wondering what to say but found that he really didn't know. He wanted Serenity to stay up, at least a little bit longer. He didn't know why, but he felt like he should spend more time with her.

Earlier in the year when Serenity first arrived, a lot of their classmates were wary of the new girl. Each of his classmates were wondering if she was a Death Eater in disguise, or if she did something horrible in her old home. Some even went so far as to accuse Serenity as a runaway spy or some sort of demon because she refused to say anything about her old home except for – Tokyo, Japan in the Juuban District. Over time, Serenity slowly opened up and revealed a few more tidbits about her old home even if they were vague. People began to accept her and even stopped questioning her altogether, except for the recent development from a week ago when she revealed as to why she came to Hogwarts: _something that happened at home._ Past tense. After that, everyone dropped the subject not wanting to trouble the new Gryffindor any further – not even his hot-headed friend, Ron. As for Hermione, she was slowly opening up to Serenity, even valuing her as a friend of some sort. She was even more wary of Serenity than Ron and himself, if that was even possible. However, Hermione did conclude for a known fact that Serenity was not a Death Eater when she noticed that Serenity didn't bear the Death Eater Mark on any of her arms. This occurred when Serenity was in the Dorm room sporting a short sleeved shirt.

"Harry, did you need something?" Serenity repeated, stirring Harry from his thoughts.

Lightly blushing, Harry released his hold from Serenity and backed off a few steps while shaking his head.

"Sorry...no, nothing... forget it," Harry apologized, a light blush still apparent in his cheeks. Thank Merlin that the only people left aside from Serenity and himself were Hermione and Ron – both of whom were diligently working on their homework or checking for mistakes. At least, he hoped they were.

"Are you sure?" Serenity lightly smiled, secretly hoping to talk to him some more. After all, if she was closer to Harry maybe he could reveal something else to her, aside from the fact that Hermione and Ron were her best friends. She already concluded that after a week or so of attending Hogwarts. Now all she needed was to form a better friendship with the 'Golden Trio'.

"Yeah, sorry..." Harry reconfirmed.

"If you're sure..." Serenity sighed, "But if you do need to talk, I'll listen. I just realized how wonderful it is to talk to someone. Even if it does sound foolish, at least, it gets the weight off your chest. I know you said that it's alright not to say anything because we'll just remember those images that we want to forget. But sometimes... sometimes it's better to talk about our troubles and our pasts. And that's when it's alright to cry. Good night, Harry..."

Serenity's eyes momentarily saddened and before Harry could utter a response, the young teen turned around and walked up the stairs to the Girl's Common Room.

To be continued

""""""""""""""

I am terribly sorry if this chapter is shorter than all the others, and I am a tad disappointed with the length. However, I wanted to put some important events in this chapter, and I did – Artemis and a step closer to forming a link to Harry.

Brief note if anyone is wondering why Serenity is suddenly feeling sad about her friends. Well it is possible to have a delayed reaction when it comes to facing death. Before she accepted it, but it didn't _really _sink in until this moment.

The scene where Serenity runs away… I would have done the same if I told people about the horrible event that happened at my home town. Serenity couldn't handle the overwhelming amount of emotions that she's suppressed. I found it fitting that Harry would be the one that could possibly understand Serenity's situation.

Yes, Artemis was reborn! He was there for a whole lifetime whereas Serenity was merely... beamed down to that world... She was in that Cauldron for a long time before it let her out to solve matters in the Wizarding world. During that time, Artemis was reborn with memories of his old life as a Guardian Cat. As for his ageless appearance, I would say it's the work of Nicolas Flamel. Even though Flamel didn't give the secret out to his family he probably gave them _something_. He's not _that_ stingy. Heheh...

If anyone was wondering where in the world I got Perrier from…it's from the biography of Nicolas Flamel and the Sorcerer's Stone: flamelcollege. org


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter. I am merely borrowing some of the characters for the fanfic. Takes place after fifth year, with a few borrowed parts from the sixth year.

Thanks for the reviews, I really do appreciate them and lets me know that there is at least one or two people who read my work. I'll continue updating when I can and when I manage to come up with something.

This chapter hasn't formed until much later because I was debating over what I should put in this chapter. It has taken me a long, long time before I can formulate an idea. Surprisingly enough, I managed to but never doubt that I will give up this precious story! HP has been something I have wanted to write about and a crossover is just an added bonus.

Also, thanks rtistyksyko for your suggestion of a potions scene.

Modified May 25, 2008.

"""""""""

It was already two weeks into October and everything was relatively peaceful in Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only surprising event thus far in the semester was the arrival of their Defense against the Dark Arts Professor, otherwise known as Professor Flamel – nephew to the famed alchemist, Nicolas Flamel.

In the beginning, everyone was curious about the seemingly ageless man and his knowledge of the Sorcerer's Stone, but it quickly got overpowered by his display of his adept skills. The man was, simply put, amazing. Within the six weeks that students had his class, no matter what year or house they were in, everyone greatly improved in their skills. Most students, if not all, now claimed that Defense were their favorite class.

During their sessions with Professor Flamel, the sixth year students learned a number of new spells and more about Dark Creatures. At first students were skeptical about their professor's credibility, quite understandable considering their past professors, but quickly overlooked that belief after the professor's reasoning and vast knowledge.

"Minor spells are quite useful when you see how useful they can be, even when you think everything is quite useless," Professor Flamel once lectured, "Simple spells such as _Wingardium Leviosa_ or _Accio_ can prove useful. The levitation charm can quickly levitate an object or a person that could prove invaluable, to a safer location and out of an enemy's grasp. The summoning charm is useful to summon a broom to get out of your current location or a book to your aide."

His small, seemingly meaningless lecture dawned on most of the students in his NEWT level class. They now understood that every spell that they learn in Hogwarts could prove most useful in the future.

"What about the cleaning charm?" a Slytherin mockingly asked, expecting to find a dumbfounded professor but was surprised to see a smiling one instead.

"Ah, Ms. Parkinson... I was waiting to see if anyone would ask that. Could anyone provide an answer to her question?" Professor Flamel looked around and smiled as he found Ms. Granger's hand in the air, "Yes, Ms. Granger, perhaps you could kindly answer Ms. Parkinson's question."

"The Cleaning Charm could be used to cover tracks after making a mess in another person's home. Even though the Cleaning Charm may not be enough, it would still be helpful to perform and buy some time for a getaway."

"Very good, Ms. Granger – five points to Gryffindor," Professor Flamel smiled towards the girl before turning his attention to the class, "Now that we have that covered. I hope you won't forget that all spells, no matter how useless they may seem, are still helpful. They are faster to cast and easier to perform. Now, let us turn our attention to something that may catch your interest – nonverbal spells."

After his brief cover on minor spells, the Professor made up the time by demonstrating an effective use of nonverbal spells. A particular subject that had everyone's attention and keen interest, because not only was it difficult to perform but would be useful in the future. Their professor's effortless ability was also an incentive to students who had yet to use nonverbal spells. Before long, class for the sixth years was over and everyone began to head off to their dorms to prepare for dinner that Thursday night.

"Ah yes, Mr. Potter can you stay behind? I would like to discuss something with you," Professor Flamel called out just before the young teenager could leave the classroom with his two best friends.

Serenity, not wanting to intrude in the quiet conversation, left the classroom after a small 'see you later' to Hermione and Ron who chose to stay behind to wait for their best friend.

(I wonder what he wanted to talk to Harry about...) Serenity wondered to herself as she headed for the Great Hall.

"""""""""

Since that particular event that transpired in DADA class, late Thursday afternoon, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Slytherins continued to cause trouble for random Gryffindors while Gryffindors did their best to not bring their House points any lower than it already was. For, you see, Gryffindor was currently in 3rd place for the Cup while Slytherins held first followed by Ravenclaw.

How did this happen, you ask? Easy, Slytherins made it their lives' goal – or at least a certain group of Slytherins – to cause harm on a certain group of Gryffindors. To be more specific: Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe versus Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. With the occasional support of Pansy Parkinson and a few other Slytherins and/or Neville Longbottom followed by other supportive members from Gryffindor.

Whenever the two sides crossed, the results were never pleasant. Either or both sides wind up in the Hospital Wing under the care of Madame Pomfrey. Due to the quarrels on both sides, a surprising event chose to grace its presence one Tuesday evening in the Great Hall.

"That slimy git!" Ron glowered, casting a dark look over at the Slytherin table before turning his attention to his best friend, Hermione Granger.

"Ron," hissed Hermione as they made their way to sit in an open space next to Serenity who was just packing her bag.

"I can't believe he did that! I mean, could it not have been more obvious that he just wants to dock points from us, so he can make Harry's life more horrible?" Ron continued to rave, as the redhead piled a few of his favorites onto his plate, "I'm telling you, he's horrible!"

"Ron, there's nothing we can do about it. What's done is done," Hermione tried to calm the peeved boy but barely got any results from him.

"I'm guessing Potions didn't go too well?" Serenity commented as she stared amusedly at the still raving redheaded Weasley, who still spouted off his complaints while eating – earning a bit of scowls on his part from neighboring Gryffindors.

"Ron, quit it!" shrieked Ginny as she stared in disgust at a piece of turkey that bounced off from Ron's mouth and onto her dress robes.

"It never does," Neville voiced over as he pushed his plate away, "Professor Snape was..."

"Absolutely livid, for no reason at all," Hermione finished for Neville.

"He docked points from Gryffindor for the smallest of errors and then gave Harry detention, because Malfoy put a Dungbomb in Harry's cauldron when he wasn't looking!" Ron added, hastily wiping his face with a napkin.

"How horrible, I'm not sure I want to go to Remedial Potions now..." Serenity sighed.

"Then skip it," Ron shrugged; apparently he had started to cool off after a few bites of his meal.

"Ron, don't say that!" Hermione reprimanded, never one for skipping classes.

"Oh come on, 'Mione, Snape's being more of a git than usual!"

"That's not a good enough reason to go off and skip class!"

"As much as I'd love to stay, I really need to get going... I wouldn't want Snape to blow off on me and give him more reasons as to why he's not having such a good day," Serenity frowned at the thought of facing an angry Snape.

"Good luck," mumbled Ron and Neville, while Hermione offered a sympathetic smile.

"""""""""""""

If anyone asked who their worst teacher was, they would honestly say that that would be Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin and Master of Potions, besides Slytherins, of course. He always prided his house above all others, detested the Gryffindors with a passion and for some unknown reason, except for a select few – desired in watching Harry Potter make mistakes; he seemed to relish those moments when The-Boy-Who-Lived showed just how imperfect he really was. Almost everyone in Hogwarts knew this, but did nothing aside from giving the raven haired boy looks of sympathy and pity, whilst the Slytherin House grinned and caused more havoc for the young teenager.

Thus, no one seemed to have wavered in the slightest when they heard the news that something happened, once again, in NEWT level Potions for 6th years when Gryffindor and Slytherin shared the class with Professor Snape.

So as Serenity pulled the door open, she merely allowed herself a look of mild curiosity as to why Harry Potter, of all people, was spending his detention during her Remedial Potions class. Dropping her book bag in a vacant chair, she grabbed her Potions textbook and walked over to a cupboard to retrieve her cauldron and other paraphernalia, before turning her complete attention to Harry who simply watched her with a look of shock on his face.

"So what are you doing here...?" both students happened to have asked at the same time.

"Eh, what do you mean?" both asked, albeit in different ways.

"...I was simply informed to go directly to this classroom to serve detention," Harry explained, "I didn't know that you took Remedial Potions in this class – I haven't been here before."

"Oh, this is where Remedial Potions seems to take place. Professor Snape always uses this as a spare classroom, at least, that's what I came up with after a little over a month of taking this course."

Before the two could continue with their conversation, the door banged open as the familiar Potions Professor strode inside not even bothering to check if his students were even inside the room. With a flick of his wand, instructions appeared on the blackboard, and with another flick a cauldron appeared in front of a blinking Harry Potter who had just processed this new information – Professor Snape had arrived.

"Well, stop gawking and get to work! As surprising as this is, I am to hope that you – Ms. Moon, are capable of making a Befuddlement Draught," Professor Snape dryly informed the girl before sneering down at Harry Potter, "As for you, you are to attempt the same potion seeing as you have ruined your last potion, the Calming Draught. Maybe making a simple fifth level potion can show me that you are capable of doing a last year's assignment."

Not wanting to disappoint their professor, both students began their attempt to complete the potion.

Serenity stared down at the textbook, checking every now and then as she let her potion simmer, making sure that she followed the instructions correctly.

_The Befuddlement Draught was first created around 1780s when a wizard by the name of Wort Walter "befuddled" the potion known as the Levisticum Potion (See Chapter 14)._

_The Draught created is similar to the effects of the Confusing Concoction (See Chapter 4). The effects include: inflaming of the brain, hot-headedness, and recklessness._

_The difference between the Befuddlement Draught and the Confusing Concoction lies within the preparation and the effects of the potions itself. Although the two potions…_

Serenity shook her head from that section of the page and turned it, letting her eyes rest on the preparation of the potion itself. After all, she did not wish to sit here and read the whole content when she had a Beffudlement Draught to create.

_When preparing the Befuddlement Draught it is advisable to first set the cauldron on a low heat for 15 minutes before first adding a half-cup of the yarrow, powdered leaves, otherwise known as sneezewort. _

_Stir the concoction 5 times to the right._

_Measure an approximate amount of 3cm of a cross shaped four petal flower (the Arugula is the most common). Place the plant into the potion and let the potion simmer for another 15 minutes…_

Following the directions, Serenity – much to her relief – managed to make a suitable potion.

_The end result of the Befuddlement Draught should be a shade of alternating colors between lavender and magenta._

By the end of the hour, Serenity sighed in relief as the Befuddlement Draught turned out the interchanging color of lavender and magenta. After sealing the potion in a vial and labeling it with her name and the name of the potion, she turned to her right to see that Harry was doing just the same – a small grimace appearing on his face as the potion was much darker than need be. Handing the vial to Professor Snape, he did not comment but after Harry's vial he cocked an eyebrow at the boy as he inspected the potion, merely commenting one word before sending the two Gryffindors on their way, "Passable."

A frustrated groan escaped Harry's lips after shutting the door in back of him, making Serenity slightly wince at the state of the raven haired boy.

(And I thought I had problems. I mean, after all this time, I still haven't progressed much except for my studies...) Serenity quirked an eyebrow as Harry walked beside her.

"I heard from your friends that Professor Snape was in a foul mood, I wonder what set him off."

"Did you? He made every other day seem pleasant compared to today," Harry grumbled.

"Want to talk about it?" Serenity's lips twisted just a tad in amusement, her crystalline blue eyes twinkling at the sight of the troubled boy.

"Finding this amusing?" Harry frowned at the girl. He hadn't talked to her all that much, despite the growing respect he held for the teenager. She would occasionally converse with him and his friends, some would call them friends, but not close ones like he shared with Hermione and Ron, not even being up to par with Dean and Seamus.

"I have to admit that for the amount of time I spend around you guys, I find either you or Ron complaining about Professor Snape more than any other Gryffindor. Complaining about him doesn't lessen the amount of hatred he holds for us Gryffindors, either, but I don't hear him being argumentative," Serenity wondered aloud, "Of course, we don't spend our time getting to know him..."

"What are you saying? That you want me to _befriend_ that slimy git?" Harry choked, looking incredulously at Serenity.

"Of course not!" Serenity gaped, wondering why he even suggested such a thing as they started to climb the stairs, "I'm merely saying, that you should try and understand the professor a bit. Or at least, find an alternative route in dealing with him. It's a bit frustrating to see him every week with a bad mood. That potion wasn't easy to make, you know..."

"Oh, I understand him quite well... especially after last year," Harry mumbled the last bit to himself but Serenity caught wind of what he said, piquing her interest but refusing to comment on his words – she was certain that it was a piece of information that he would rather not talk about, especially when Harry started to unconsciously rub the side of his head.

"If what you say is true, then why does he continue on like this...?" Serenity waved towards him, gesturing that Professor Snape still continued on with his onslaught of thinking the Gryffindor House to be a poor place to be in.

"Like I said, he's a slimy git... he obviously can't handle the fact that grudges should remain in the past. Especially if there's no reason for him to hold on to it," Harry scowled his face darkening as he reflected upon his past.

"Grudges? No wonder he hates you, though I don't know why he hates the rest of the Gryffindors..." Serenity sighed, shaking her head as they turned a corner – they still needed to go up two more flights of stairs, but had to make a detour seeing as the staircase moved around and probably wouldn't be back anytime soon.

"I think it has something to do with my parents, if it means anything. My father and his friends used to play pranks all the time – taking an interest in the Slytherin house, Snape in particular. The other Gryffindors, with a few exceptions, supported this rivalry. I guess that didn't work out too well, seeing as Snape is now the Head of House and a professor..." Harry informed her.

"No wonder..." Serenity sighed, now understanding not only Harry's predicament but the whole House's over how Snape could spite all of them, even though they did nothing wrong in his presence; it was all thanks to a petty rivalry, "I guess it only adds that there has always been a rivalry between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. At least, that's what I read in Hogwarts: A History."

"You could say that..." Harry shook his head, an amused expression appearing on his face when Serenity mentioned Hogwarts: A History. After all, the only one he knew who read the book was Hermione, but recently he could vouch that Serenity Moon also seemed to enjoy reading it as much as his best friend.

A new wave of silence transpired around them as the two Gryffindors made their way to the next set of stairs, the staircase had decided to come back, thankfully enough. As they climbed toward the sixth floor, Serenity chanced a glance toward her right only to see a contemplative Harry Potter. A slight frown marred her features; what was he thinking about?

"Anything wrong, Harry?"

"Ah, no – not really," Harry denied, but deep in his mind there really was something that troubled him, "Nothing is wrong..."

Serenity skeptically glanced at the messy-haired teen but decided not to press, she couldn't force him to say anything to her; she had her own secrets. If Harry didn't feel up to telling her out of his own free will, then so be it; she had to gain his trust through friendship, not force.

"Serenity," Harry knew that she didn't buy into his words, he didn't believe it himself. After all, Hermione had always been capable of telling if something is wrong with him and Ron did as well – although he would never say anything. He had guessed that Serenity was just like his two best friends, capable of reading into him. A small smile touched upon his lips, his own roommates – Dean and Seamus – couldn't figure him out despite sharing the same room for so many years, yet Serenity Moon had appeared not too long ago and knew him better than they did.

Serenity stared inquisitively at Harry; he had called her name but was now just standing there with a small smile on his face. Ever since their talk in Transfiguration, Harry had somehow changed. Not for the worse, but not for the best either – he seemed undecided about his perception towards her. Serenity couldn't really blame him, she would be as well if she met and suddenly became interested in someone she hardly knew.

Harry suddenly blushed, noticing his odd behavior, "Sorry..."

The Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the one fated to bring the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort was blushing and making a fool out of himself in front of a girl that he deemed as a friend.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Serenity laughed, a large smile appearing on her face just as she reached forward and took hold of Harry's hand, dragging him with her to check if the staircase had arrived, "We really shouldn't dawdle like this, and these staircases really should stop moving around – curfew is almost over and I have no desire to be caught by Filch and his cat."

"Then we'll just say that Professor Snape kept us out late," Harry proclaimed, thinking that it was a reasonable excuse but suddenly started to shake his head at his insane idea and started to laugh just as Serenity stifled a laughter, "Right, Snape – what was I thinking? It's not like he'd do anything to help us, especially _me_."

The rest of the trip was uneventful, interrupted by an occasional student hurrying to his or her respective Common Room. After what seemed ages, they were finally starting on the sixth floor staircase with only one more set to go before they reached Gryffindor Tower.

"You know, at first, this was really exciting to have our House located at the top of the school but now..." Serenity began, irked that the staircase had, once again, decided to leave them hanging.

"I know what you mean, it seems like bad luck to me. I don't get caught waiting for the staircase to move three times in one evening," Harry agreed, glowering at the moving staircase that decided to rest itself against a bare wall.

"Care to walk?" Serenity started, turning her back and began a trek to nowhere in particular with Harry following after.

""""""""

A dream came later on that night, one that she cared not to remember. First darkness entered into her mind, followed by screams, cries, and then silence. It was the unnerving stillness that bothered the girl more than the screams and cries; anything was better than the loneliness; the intimidating chillness that slowly crept into her heart was too much for her to take.

Serenity gasped, stifling a scream that tried to make its way out of her mouth. Shuddering, Serenity held herself still for a long time, a small whimper and then absolute silence as she willed herself to forget the images that kept replaying itself inside of her mind. When she dared to move again, she found herself unsure about her surroundings, still unable to accept the fact that the fight was now over and she was in a different time and place; basically, a whole new world.

(Everyone…) Serenity closed her eyes, reliving the images of her deceased friends and suppressed another shudder.

After calming herself down once more, Serenity willed her eyes to open and was surprised to find herself not in the comfort of her dorm room or the common room but outside. A small crease crossed over her forehead as she studied the surrounding area and registered the exact place that she currently resided. She was near the lake, the place she was first discovered by the Headmaster and the Deputy Headmistress along with the caretaker and his cat. A small grimace flew pass her lips at the memory; it seemed to her that her first impressions were almost-always disastrous.

A sigh and then another flurry of images flooded through her mind, Serenity simply knew that this would take awhile before she could suppress these feelings of longing and sorrow. Opting to stand outside for a bit more, she buried her face into her legs and blankly stared at the Forbidden Forest, hoping that she could get through with this before breakfast and class started.

It was only 3:00am, after all.

"""""""""""

Draco Malfoy, sixth year, prefect, second smartest wizard of his year, and pureblood. He was the epitome of what a pureblooded wizard should look like; white blonde hair, gray eyes, and a complexion as white as fresh snow. He carried himself with grace and held an air that made people look at him, follow him, and respect him. At least, they would, if Harry Potter wasn't around.

Draco involuntarily scowled in remembrance. Ever since Harry-_bloody_-Potter declined his invitation of friendship, they were on the outs. Of course, he started it, wanting to make Potter pay for embarrassing him as he had…

And no one embarrassed a Malfoy! Malfoys were born to be respected and revered, to be followed and obeyed! They associated themselves with those in power and those that they deemed useful.

That is why his father chose to serve the Dark Lord.

Not out of sheer awe of the powerful dark lord or merely to serve him out of love, but because of the benefits that could result from serving such a powerful wizard. With servitude, despite the Malfoy's reluctance of having to bow and kiss the Lord's hem, and to obey his orders, came the benefit of power and knowledge, as well as associations to areas where they previously held no power in.

Draco Malfoy dwelled on these thoughts for a bit before shaking his head, stopping the images.

He knew that his father loved power and enjoyed surrounding himself with those of influence. And money was something the Malfoys carried for several generations. However, whereas Lucius Malfoy made these his priority and would go through any means to ensure that he had these made readily available, Draco Malfoy did not.

Draco Lucius Malfoy was not enthusiastic about the thought of serving He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Of course, Draco didn't like Muggles, Muggleborns, and could only tolerate Half-Bloods. He would hex and curse Mudbloods like Granger any day, taunting her and her sickening friends in Gryffindor. However, when it came to casting the Killing Curse, or involving torture, that's where he drew the line. He knew where the lines crossed and he would not bring himself to become a killer, a murderer… unlike his father.

Draco Malfoy was raised in a family of purebloods, learned in the techniques and styles of how to act and behave wherever he went. He was praised for his skills of refinement and applauded for his inborn talent of charisma wherever it was warranted. He was sly and bright, handsome and manipulative; in short, he was a Slytherin.

Draco Malfoy was many things, a bully, an intelligent yet ignorant boy, a schemer, a charmer, a Slytherin Prince, and even a Sex God – where they managed to get this was still a mystery to the blonde-haired boy, but he would never prove the gossipers wrong on this one.

Nonetheless, what Draco would say he was not was to be a killer. He had already made up his mind on this, ever since his father let him witness a particularly vile act in their Manor's dungeons where two muggle trespassers unfortunately wandered through the wards and into their front steps.

Draco clutched his pale hands, and forced himself to calm down. Ever since he saw the torture, the rape, and the slow, painful death of those muggles; ever since he finally saw that the blood that bled from those lifeless lips and eyes. Ever since he came to know that a muggle held no blood different from his own, he knew that all the teachings that he received from his private tutors and his father were grossly understated and wrong. Muggles held no blood that was not pure as his, and all that stood between his society and theirs was purely through a conflict of beliefs and ignorance.

Grimacing as the image began to play out in his mind, Draco Malfoy painfully pushed it out of his psyche and continued on with his mindless wandering, ignoring the sudden chill that filled his body.

As the Slytherin kept on walking, he deftly noticed that the ground he walked in was no longer the cold concrete from the corridor but grass. Nevertheless he chose to walk onward, the vivid picture of two corpses and his cold father replaying the scene over and over again remaining through half-lidded eyes.

Before Draco could acknowledge that he had reached a new destination, he slightly tripped over a patch of uprooted grass – no doubt from a gopher or some such – and steadied himself with the aid of a nearby tree.

Looking up, he was slightly shocked to see a figure at this time – last he had checked it was only around 4am. A small frown marred his delicate face as he studied the person in front of him and blinked in recognition. He recalled seeing her in the Start-of-the-Term Feast; she was the new girl, Serenity Moon, a Gryffindor.

He had seen her before, but never bothered to encounter her since he had better things to do with his time. However, Draco fleetingly recalled how she had befriended a few younger years from Slytherin… How she managed that, was something he could never answer.

Shrugging, Draco figured now was good as any to taunt her. Although his beliefs were changing, it does not mean that he should completely change, right? After all, he still enjoyed hearing people's screams of surprise and fright, and to witness their humiliation. So long as these things do not get out of hand.

Therefore, with a smirk forming on his face, Draco Malfoy made his way over to the crouched girl.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little cub. What are you doing wandering off from your lion's den?" Draco began as he looked quizzically over her still form. Wasn't she cold at this time? Even he had worn a cloak before venturing out of the Slytherin chambers. After all, fall had already made its way to Hogwarts and soon the winter snow would be upon them.

After a short time, a scowl appeared over his face to replace the smirk when he didn't receive a reply from the girl. How dare she ignore him! No one ignores a Malfoy! For a while he stood there, seething before marching over to face the little Gryffindor lion, his hand reaching for his wand.

As Draco whirled around to face her, he stopped short of reaching his wand at the sight of Serenity's troubled and haunted face. The thought never crossed his mind that the reason why Serenity could be out here would be something similar to his. Without a word, Draco stopped his action of hexing the fellow sixth year and without another word, he gracefully placed himself right beside the Gryffindor.

Draco Malfoy could always make Moon pay later for ignoring his presence, but right now, he'd let her be. Draco smirked inwardly at the thoughts of exactly how to get back at her within his mind as he casually leaned against his arms and stared up at the stars, a faint smirk apparent on his face.

"""""""""""

Serenity knew that Draco Malfoy was right beside her, and she was puzzled as to why he didn't curse or hex her when she refused to acknowledge his presence. She had heard the rumors about Draco's favorite pastime and that was harassing the Gryffindors, his preferred targets being the Golden Trio. So if he targeted her friends, why not her?

Shrugging inwardly, Serenity decided not to dwell on these thoughts and continued staring at the landscape, briefly wondering how long she had been outside in this cold weather and slightly shivered. She began rubbing her arms over the coarse material of her school robes, coaxing warmth but froze as a cloak was draped over her shoulders. Shocked, Serenity tilted her head up and found a nonchalant Draco Malfoy.

"Thank…you," Serenity slowly enunciated, not wholly sure of herself on how to act around the white blonde haired boy of sixteen.

Draco merely feigned ignorance in reply, his gray eyes seemingly focused on the stars above them. With a light smile, Serenity wrapped the cloak around herself more carefully before returning her attention on the Forbidden Forest.

The rest of the time she spent with Malfoy remained virtually silent; the two off in their own world, each contemplating on their pasts and what the future held in store for them. As the sun slowly rose up in the distant horizon, the sun's rays bathing its warmth over their shoulders, the two knew that morning was now upon them. Soon, they would have to return back to their original courses and resume their natural lives.

A small rustle and a flurry of robes brought Serenity back to reality as she noticed that Malfoy had already risen from his prior position beside her. Lifting her head up, Serenity noticed that he hadn't stared at her but at the building behind them – Hogwarts. With a small sigh, Serenity followed suit and without a word the two made their way back to the castle. As they neared the entrance, Serenity took off the cloak, a small smile on her face as she silently handed it to Malfoy who took it wordlessly, a smirk apparent on his features.

"Better get going, wouldn't want you to be seen with a slimy Slytherin, now would we?" Malfoy drawled, expecting a scowl to appear on the Gryffindor's face but was met with a still-smiling face.

"And we wouldn't want you to be seen with a lowly Gryffindor," Serenity lightly countered before stepping through the threshold, making her way to the Great Hall and not looking back.

If she had, the silvery-blonde haired girl would have seen the slight twitch of Malfoy's lips that could have passed for an amused smile.

To be continued…

""""""""""""""""

Some notes about this chapter – not much can be said; I simply wanted Serenity to meet Draco Malfoy and a glimpse of the reason why Harry and Snape do not get along.

For those who believe that it's that simple for Draco and Serenity to get together, think again.

It's not that simple; after all, Draco had simply let his guard down for that simple moment because of the plaguing images inside his head. He'll get over it after some time, like Serenity will eventually have to face the present troubles instead of her past. Furthermore, Draco is still a bully who amuses himself with troubling other Houses. Like what happened not too long ago; just because he knows that blood is not a huge problem and he knows that the color is just the same – he still doesn't like "mudbloods/muggleborns."

Old habits die hard.

With that in mind, I hope that when the next chapter is posted none of you will be too surprised.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

Modified: June 9, 2008.

""""""""""""""

Since the small episode early Wednesday morning, nothing else occurred that was worth mentioning. The Gryffindor/Slytherin disputes continued and detentions continued to be given out, and the atmosphere worsened as the Gryffindor/Slytherin match drew closer; the match would be scheduled for a Saturday on November 7. Two, almost three, weeks were left until the appointed time and everyone knew that the situation between the two houses would not lessen until the match was over.

Serenity knew all of this but feigned ignorance, opting to put more of her attention into getting her courses done and finding a solution to her current predicament – a way to help Harry win this war with Voldemort and trap the fragment of Chaos. Her tentative steps of befriending 'the Chosen One' were fine, as the steady friendship she began forming with the trio were passable.

Serenity let out an inaudible sigh as she pushed back her meal and made to stand up. Three servings for that evening were enough to quench her appetite, besides, if she was hungry at some later point in time, she could always sneak in to the kitchens. She hid her glee from the memory of just a few days ago when Ron showed her the path to Hogwart's kitchens.

"Going already?" Hermione raised her head from her meal, an open book lying beside her.

Serenity simply nodded as Ron and Harry looked up to find Serenity pick up her bag and make her way out of the Great Hall.

As she left the Great Hall, lingering thoughts of Chaos, Voldemort, and the trio passed through her mind.

"""""""""""""

These irritating thoughts plagued Serenity endlessly throughout the night and didn't stop when she woke up from a dreamless sleep. Muttering a small _Tempus_, Serenity softly groaned at the time – 3:00am. How did she get herself in these situations? She loved sleeping; unfortunately her current dilemma must be too much for her if she was now losing sleep.

How she missed the old days… Letting a small smile rest on her lips as she recalled the times when she would sleep in late and barely make it to class. Or those days when she could afford to sleep in class only to have the teacher reprimand her. Then again, she still slept in class, with few exceptions for certain classes.

A small yawn made its way pass her lips as she forced herself to get up; she already knew that sleep would not be so easy at this time, no matter how much she wanted to. A few minutes later, Serenity came out of the Gryffindor Common Room and down several flights of steps, lost in her own thoughts.

That was until she stumbled over her own feet and crashed onto the ground. A small yelp escaped her throat once her knee touched the polished ground, her hands flailing beside her. As she carefully turned to her side, her eyes widened at the sight that befell her – a body was on the ground, blood coiling around, and a wand beside the person. Stumbling, Serenity pushed herself back, her breath hitched in her throat; worry, fear, and shock rolling into one as her previous thoughts flitted away.

Her bearings returned to her a few breaths later as Serenity rose to identify the fallen student, struggling to keep herself from running and crying. Kneeling beside the student, the very first thing she noticed was that the student was a familiar-looking Gryffindor. The student was a male with mousy brown hair and quite short, she had almost mistaken him for a first or second year, but as she focused on his face, Serenity knew at once who the student was – Dennis Creevy, a third year Gryffindor and one of whom was most loyal to Harry Potter.

However, what was he doing out so late or, should she say, early? Inspecting closer, Serenity saw that blood had yet to dry on the floor and judging from his sprawled position, he was in a hurry to leave Gryffindor Tower and towards an unknown destination.

"My, my, it seems that the little cub is in a little predicament," a drawl sounded from in front of her.

Serenity looked up and was not wholly surprised to find the 'Slytherin Prince' to be there, his languid form leaning against the wall, and his gray eyes shifting from her to the injured form lying on the ground next to her.

"I don't have time for this, Malfoy. If you don't want to help, you might as well stay quiet," Serenity frowned as she slowly rose from the floor.

"Help; perish the thought, I have no need to help a filthy mudblood…" Draco continued a sneer evident on his face, "I don't see why there's any need and he looks fine over there. The less filth there is the better."

"How can you say that?!" Serenity hissed, her blue eyes widening with shock. How could he be so cruel? What happened to the boy who lent her his coat just a few days ago?

When Serenity saw him only sneer in disgust and saw the contempt in his eyes as it traveled to Dennis Creevy's form, she knew that he really did not care for Muggleborns.

"Is blood really that important to you?" Serenity whispered as she held her wand, waving it over Colin's little brother, muttering _Locomotor Dennis_, and began walking down the corridor, not bothering to check if Draco Malfoy was going to follow her.

"""""""""

Serenity was quite relieved to find Madame Pomfrey was awake by the time she reached the Hospital Wing on the third floor. The middle-aged witch was quite surprised to find the state of the injured student and immediately hustled Serenity in, ordering her to place the patient on an available bed. Quickly afterward, Madame Pomfrey ushered Serenity outside ensuring the girl that Mr. Creevy would be fine under her care.

As Serenity left, she reeled back in shock at the sight of Draco Malfoy standing near the doorway, an amused smile on his lips at seeing the shocked expression on the Gryffindor's face.

"Haven't you done enough?" Serenity quietly hissed.

"You don't really believe I did _that_?" Draco hissed back, a brow rose from Serenity's assumptions.

"And who else would, you were the only one within that vicinity!" Serenity cried out as she walked away from the Hospital Wing, quite certain that Draco Malfoy would follow her.

"Not true at all, little Gryffindor…" she could hear his silky voice saying from right beside her.

"What do you mean?" Serenity spun around and was startled once again as she met twinkling gray eyes. Before she could say anything more, she was pushed up against the wall, Draco placing both his arms on either side of her.

"Why, you were there as well little cub," Draco grinned and was inwardly delighted by another round of seeing a shocked expression forming on her face.

"Wh-what! You can't possibly…" Serenity began but stopped herself when she noticed that Draco really would report her as being the one who fired the unnamed curse on Dennis Creevy.

How could he be so vindictive?

"I would," Draco silkily whispered, his lips eerily close to her ear, "After all, you, yourself assume that I was the one who attacked that Mudblood… why can't I presume the same for yourself? Just because you are in the same house does not give you enough of an explanation."

Serenity remained quiet as she digested his words. So, it would be like this then – she would remain quiet about this event and he would do so in return. But what if…

"And if I hear you telling any of the teachers of my being in the area…" Draco added; his silky voice so close that she could feel his breath upon her skin, "the repercussions won't be pleasant."

Serenity froze at his words, her mind reeling with the innumerable ways that Malfoy could pay her back for telling the teacher of what may have transpired on the corridor that early in the morning. Also wondering exactly why and how Dennis Creevy came to be in that form, but as her thoughts slowed down, Serenity came to her senses – Dennis would wake up soon and by then she could receive the answers to her questions.

There was no way that Malfoy could escape his fate, surely Malfoy would be suspended from school, and if not, he would spend a great deal of time in detention.

Malfoy…

Serenity blinked and suddenly realized that she was alone in the hallway, and Malfoy was nowhere in sight. The bastard had left her; it figures he wouldn't wait to hear what she had to say.

With a soft growl of annoyance, Serenity made her way down the hall – maybe the Great Hall was open by now.

"""""""""""""""""""

The morning passed uneventful after the small exchange between Malfoy and Serenity out on the hall near the Hospital Wing. Serenity had already formed a great deal of wariness toward the Slytherin, but after a small observation, decided to keep that guardedness to herself – she had no need for her slow-becoming friends to question why she suddenly developed a curiosity for a certain Draco Malfoy.

With that, Serenity went through her Saturday morning ritual of grabbing her school supplies and made her way to her Remedial lessons of Herbology first, followed by Charms. Remedial DADA would be later on that afternoon, an hour after lunch. She briefly wondered if the day would remain the same way – redundant and uneventful.

Unbeknownst to the Gryffindor cub, as she shrugged on her bag and made her way outside for Remedial Herbology with Professor Sprout, her rituals would soon be interrupted by something more interesting.

"Hey, where's Harry?" Neville commented as he took the open seat beside Serenity, briefly glancing at the heap stacked on her plate.

"Iunno," Ron shrugged with his mouth full of food, ignoring Hermione's glare.

"I haven't seen him since this morning, he said something about needing to speak with Professor Flamel, but I'm not sure about what it could be," Hermione sighed, knowing that it was futile to reprimand Ron about table manners when he was too busy eating.

"Hmm, maybe it's about the assignment," Neville murmured, taking a swipe at the last piece of bread roll before Ron could even take it from him and took a bite out of it, earning a frown from Ron as he glared at boy in front of him.

"Oh, come off it, Ronald! There's still plenty of food left!" Hermione reprimanded and playfully swatted his arm.

"The assignment wasn't that hard," Serenity frowned, "Even I could find something about Dementors and Banshees!"

"True, but if it's not about the assignment…" Neville began but shook his head, "Never mind, maybe he wants something else from the Professor. After all, our new DADA teacher is pretty easy to get along with, don't you think?"

"Mmmh," Hermione acquiesced, taking another bite from her meal and noticed that Ron was too busy stuffing his face to even hear Neville properly.

"Well, speaking of DADA, I need to get ready for Professor Flamel's remedial class. I'm pretty sure he mentioned something about our lesson being more practical from now on," Serenity started, looking longingly at the food around her, "As much as I want to stay, I don't think it's a good idea to come in with a completely full stomach."

"I don't think so, either," grinned Ron, hearing her words.

After a murmur of good-byes, Serenity took her bag and strode out of the Great Hall, unaware of a pair of gray eyes that followed her every movement.

"""""""""""

As Serenity drew closer to the classroom she was scheduled to enter that afternoon, she was wholly not prepared for what met her as she threw open the door.

BOOM!

A loud explosion rebounded off the walls and dust flew over the room, sending Serenity to widen her eyes and fall onto her knees. Almost instinctively, Serenity threw her arms in front of her, shielding her face and the upper portion of her body. Her crystalline blue eyes peeked from between her wrists, trying to find the one responsible for the destructive spell.

Sensing another presence within the room with the aid of her Silver Crystal, she crept into the room before the dust settled and came to rest behind the desk near the doorway. Her eyes and senses heightened as her days as a Sailor Senshi returned to her.

(Is it one of those Death Eaters that I've heard so much about? Or… a Dark Creature?) Serenity thought as a series of possibilities flooded her head.

"Bravo!" Serenity tensed at those words before another wave of shock then relief and then annoyance flooded into her system as she recognized the voice. "You've done wonderfully, I knew that with a few practices you could hone in your inborn talent with that wand of yours, Mr. Potter!"

(Mr. Potter? Harry!) Serenity cried out inwardly, fighting the emotions that still wouldn't let her reign in, wanting to shout at the owner of the voice for scaring the wits out of her and make her almost lose her composure.

"Ah, Ms. Moon, how kind of you to join us," the familiar voice registered itself unto Serenity as the last traces of debris finally settled on the floor; she recognized it as Professor Flamel.

"Professor," Serenity slightly stumbled as she slowly managed to regain her composure and fit a steely stare towards her professor, fleetingly recognizing a mischievous grin upon his ageless face.

"I did not know that you have taken on another student for Remedial Defense against the Dark Arts," she continued, chancing a glance at Harry who looked at her with uncertainty.

"I did clearly mention that today would be the start of our practical lessons, did I not?" Professor Flamel's words underlined the humor that he clearly regarded towards Serenity, making the silver-blond haired girl bristle and tense.

At the sight of her stiff nod, Professor Flamel smiled and bade her to come up and join Harry.

"Alright, from today on, Mr. Potter will be joining us from time to time. Either on Saturdays or Tuesdays, same time as yours," Professor Flamel explained, "From this time forth, you two will become… practice buddies, partners…if you will."

"What we will learn here must be kept secret for Mr. Potter's sake," Professor Flamel's eyes focused on Serenity at these words and only after she nodded in understanding did the professor return his attention on the both of them, "Together, the two of you will learn and study more advanced materials in regard to Defense."

"Does the Headmaster know about this…?" Serenity apprehensively asked.

"Would I be here, speaking with the both of you and asking what I have just said, if he hasn't approved of it?" Professor Flamel inquired.

(I can't believe that old man…) Sereniy shook her head, a small smile upon her face over how the Headmaster acted on her behalf.

Here she was worrying about how she could get closer to Harry Potter when he had been acting behind the scenes to set this up… just for her. Or maybe it was the other way around? After all, the Boy-Who-Lived needed all the help he can get to survive and win the fight between him and Voldemort, who better to train with him than a man such as Flamel and a girl like herself? One who is suitable enough to know complex spells from years of study and training; a rare treat for a school such as Hogwarts that is known for its cursed DADA position. And the other, a girl who came down from the sky, a mystery but nonetheless had come to Hogwarts for the sole purpose of helping them with Voldemort. The two of them combined would, to the Headmaster, seem like the best they could muscle up to help the Boy-Who-Lived.

(He's either oddly brilliant or insane…) Serenity stated and chanced a glance at Harry who looked bemused over their situation.

"If there are no problems with this arrangement…" Professor Flamel let a pause pass them by, and after a moment of silence, nodded to some invisible force.

"Good, then shall we begin?"

Before either of them could respond, Professor Flamel had thrown an invisible, unbelievable amount of force toward the two of them. Before they knew it, they were thrown back.

Practice from now on, would have a complete change of pace.

"""""""""

Remedial classes were now over and Serenity could not have been more relieved as she nursed a bruised arm, vaguely remembering all the other bruises and cuts that she received from Remedial DADA. Harry was not better off, but he had nursed those wounds from a few potions that Professor Flamel carried at all times – too bad that he ran out by the time she began receiving all these bruises and cuts that marred her body. And so it goes that after the onslaught of spells ceased, a few words of advice, followed by a dismissal, the two were sent on their way.

Serenity could barely register the words that she exchanged with the emerald eyed boy. Only remembering how she assured Harry that she was fine and would visit Madame Pomfrey as soon as she can. He was hesitant at first, especially when she informed him that she could make it to the third floor by herself, but by the end of the conversation Harry had reluctantly left her.

Now here she was, wandering down the corridors, wincing periodically at the pain that began to throb at her left calf. Reflecting back on the class session, she could feel the amount of satisfaction of being able to last as long as she had. She was sure that if her friends were here, they would have been proud of her performance, as she had managed to last up until the last ten minutes of class time.

Wincing as her bruised arm brushed up against the edge of the corner, Serenity turned down the corridor, a bit relieved that this was finally the third floor. After a moment's rest, Serenity continued her trek to the Hospital Wing but froze at the sight of a certain blond haired boy who was bent over a still figure on the floor – a still bloodied and bruised figure.

Creeping closer, she was relieved to see that the person was very much conscious, despite the awful state that the person seemed to be in.

"How unfortunate that I found you…" Draco Malfoy sneered as he straightened up and kicked the boy to his side, earning a groan from the figure and a gasp from Serenity.

At hearing the surprised gasp, Draco whirled around, his wand quickly coming to his hand, training it on her. His gray eyes widened with surprise and a hint of shock, quite possibly from the state that she came in.

"You…" Serenity shook her head, feeling faint and appalled, "I cannot…"

Draco scoffed before brushing away an invisible dust from his uniform and made his way toward the Gryffindor cub.

"Will you not help him?" Serenity gathered herself together, her accusing crystalline blue eyes staring at the Slytherin, "Don't you care at all?"

Draco quizzically observed the cub before letting a derisive smirk mar his stoic face and brushed pass Serenity, "I'm not a Saint, little cub. There are only two kinds in this world; those who can stand on their own and those who cannot."

He took a moment to look over his shoulder and stared at the struggling student who tried to bring himself up to his feet. It was obvious the Slytherin Prince was amused at the sight of someone in pain.

"It's obvious that the 'puff is not the stronger of the two and I don't associate myself with those who I cannot benefit from," Draco sneered. "You should do well to try and remember that."

"Not everyone thinks the way you do, Malfoy," Serenity glared and bent over to help the fallen Hufflepuff.

"He's only a weak 'puff, and a mudblood, at that," Malfoy continued, turning around to watch the scene unfold. He took a newfound joy in watching the emotions that were clearly displayed on the new Gryffindor's face.

"…you're despicable!" Serenity hissed and, without another word, turned around with her arms around the Hufflepuff, slowly making their way to the Hospital Wing.

"Did you just realize that?" Malfoy shouted, a malicious grin settling over his face, "If you haven't noticed, I'm a Slytherin!"

"Not a 'puff," Draco muttered to himself, "Whereas a Hufflepuff is loyal and just, a Slytherin is cunning…we do what we can to survive."

(In Slytherin, you never let your guard down…)

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Rating: PG/ PG-13

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

"""""""""

November 7th had finally come with much anticipation and great relief to most of the Professors.

Both Houses had been preparing for the long-awaited Quidditch match. Both needing to train and bring in new recruits to fill the ones that their elders had left. For the Gryffindors were the new Beaters – Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote, both fourth years. Ginny Weasley came as the new Chaser alongside Demelza Robins, both of which were fifth years. And, of course, Ron Weasley was the Keeper – now confident of his abilities after a great amount of training that their new captain, Katie Bell – Chaser – put them through. Harry would remain as their Seeker.

"A new Cleansweep! My very own broom!"

Serenity was surprised as she walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, her crystalline blue eyes meeting a mesh of scarlet and gold versus green and silver. It was obvious to anyone that either knows of, attended, or currently attends the school that today was the day for the Quidditch Match.

As she sat down, she noted to herself that she seemed to be not as excited about the prospect of the match as her classmates. Her thoughts still lingered on the events that had mysteriously transpired every so often around the school or near the edges of the Forbidden Forest. Animals and students alike have been found with the same effects as what had occurred with a certain Dennis Creevy. Unconscious, either seemingly beaten or perfectly fine, with the exception of having their blood spilled around their person.

Of course, none other than a few people knew about this mysterious event. Only those that had found these students knew about what was going on, and those that had found such students were not many. Coincidentally enough, only three out of the whole school had come across such a thing: Serenity Moon, Draco Malfoy, and Dennis Creevy.

Yes, _that_ Dennis Creevy – the first student that she had found lying unconscious a few weeks ago along with Draco Malfoy.

It seemed that that early morning two-three weeks ago was not the first case of such a strange occurrence. Dennis had first discovered the first victim a few weeks prior to his attack. His discovery had been a unicorn, sadly enough, and had not been capable of summoning a Professor in time to save the valiant beast from its death. By the time the Professors had arrived along with the half-giant, Hagrid, the unicorn had already passed away. Thankfully enough, when Dennis had been attacked, Madame Pomfrey had saved him from near-death.

When questioned by the Headmaster about his attack, the poor 3rd year Gryffindor could not fathom what had transpired. It seemed that all he could recall was that he had left the safety of his Tower because he had left his potions assignment near the Whomping Willow. He had done the assignment outside because he wanted to keep an eye out for whoever had attacked the unicorn and hoped to take a picture. As for doing the assignment and keeping a look-eye, well the young third year simply did more of looking rather than completing the assignment. On his way, all he could recall was the feeling of dread that overcame him before he passed out.

After this news, nothing more had occurred until recently when a series of attacks occurred near the dungeons, having attacked a few Hufflepuff first and second years on a Friday evening. Luckily for them, Madame Pomfrey had managed to heal them in time for Monday classes, and no one was the wiser – simply assuming that they had been attacked by Peeves or a few fellow Slytherins, which was exactly what the victims had thought.

Now November 7th came around, a Saturday, and luckily for her, there would be no Remedial Courses for that day. Added to this wonderful and clear day, Serenity would also be privy to watching her first ever Quidditch Match.

"First time, right?" Neville hovered over her, a grin apparent on his face as he watched Serenity finish up her plate.

"Yeah, from the looks of things, everyone is excited." Serenity commented as she eyed the people in the Great Hall – it seemed that almost everyone was wearing the House colors of either Gryffindor or Slytherin, showing their support for the two fiercest teams within Hogwarts.

"Excited doesn't cover it," Hermione had a smirk that could _almost_ pass for a Slytherin, of course, no one would dare say that lest they receive a hex in return.

"You'll understand why everyone is…feeling the way they do. Just watch, you'll see," Neville grinned and his grin widened more when he saw the Gryffindor Quidditch team rise up from their seats, no more than two seats down, and make their way to the Quidditch Pitch to prepare for the upcoming game.

"There's no doubt in anyone's mind that watching the Gryffindors and Slytherins play against each another is one of the most intense games in Hogwarts," Hermione commented, a similar grin on her face.

"Hmm…" Serenity watched, curious. All she currently knew at the moment, was what Ron let her read in order to better understand the game – that and the long-winded explanation that Ron and any nearby Quidditch fanatic would tell.

"Come on; let's go so we can get some great seats."

"""""""""""

"Welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!" new commentator Dean Thomas bellowed, the sound magically expanding throughout the massive stadium as the crowd wildly cheered, "I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the game to get going!"

Serenity stared in awe at the swirl of colors that overcame the stands, everyone cheering and waving their banners, proudly declaring for all to see the team that they supported and revered, whether it is the Slytherins or the Gryffindors. As she took her position next to Hermione and Neville, Seamus at her back, she caught sight of a waft of white-blond hair, no doubt the Slytherin Seeker – Draco Malfoy.

Focusing her attention on the Slytherin Prince, she couldn't help but feel a surge of mild disgust at the smirk that currently adorned his face as he looked around the stands, hearing the deafening cheer coming from the Slytherin side of the stands, his Nimbus 2001 in his right hand. And as his gray eyes drifted to the Gryffindor side, she did not miss how the Slytherin's grin widened even more and the unmistakable glint in his gray eyes as those orbs focused on hers. She didn't know why he grinned more, when she was definitely scowling at the Slytherin, but she reigned in her discontent when she caught the trail end of Dean's commentary as he announced the arrival of the Gryffindor team.

""""""""""

"Begin!" Madam Hooch shouted, the trill of her whistle signaling both teams to shoot into the air and scattering, Ron heading for the goal posts, the Chasers and Beaters towards the Quaffle and Bludgers, and Harry simply disappeared.

At least, that's how it first appeared to everyone, but in reality, Harry merely had put his Firebolt into overdrive as he burst up into the air. He was currently up into the air, the pitch below him nothing more than a mere dot. After hovering in the air for a few seconds, he grinned like a Cheshire cat at the thought of Malfoy frantically searching the stands for a glimpse of his person – wondering if, perhaps, he had seen the Snitch and would appear with it in hand. If only he knew.

With this in mind, Harry raced back down, just as quickly, letting the adrenaline overcome his senses as he pressed his Firebolt for more speed. This game was merely beginning.

Shortly after re-appearing back on the stands, Harry barely dodged a Bludger in time that went speeding past him, and then swerved out of the way as Coote came chasing after it – his bat swinging and hitting it towards the Slytherin Chaser in possession of the Quaffle, Montague.

"Gryffindor now in possession! Chaser Demelza Robins passing it to Ginny Weasley, Weasley passing it to Katie Bell! Look at them go!"

Forcing himself to put his attention back to searching for the Snitch, Harry soared back and forth the length of the pitch – well aware that Malfoy was also looking for the elusive item that would most likely win the game for their team.

As the morning drew onward, the sun was fairly high up in the bright, blue sky with the game continuing with neither side managing to catch the Snitch. There have been several instances where Harry and Draco would see the intangible golden ball, but neither one had managed to reach it in time and was incapable of finding it.

By early afternoon, the score of the game was fairly even, mostly due to the excellent work by the Keepers on each team. The score was currently 60 – 80, with the Slytherins leading. Despite the score, everyone knew that it was still a close game; all the Gryffindors would need was to find the Snitch.

As Harry and Draco soared through the length of the pitch, it was obvious to almost everyone that fatigue was beginning to wear down on them. Both teams' Chasers were worn down, and even the Beaters were beginning to play half-heartedly.

It was around this time that the two Seekers made an unvoiced decision of keeping their full attention on seeking the Snitch, trying to find it as fast as they can.

"And there goes Malfoy! Is it possible that he has found the Snitch?" Dean Thomas' voice was laced with shock as he announced this to the stands.

Harry swerved his Firebolt and began racing after Malfoy. Was it really possible that Malfoy had seen the Snitch before him? Speeding up, Harry dove sharply towards the ground where Malfoy was apparently headed, his focus on trying to catch up to the white blonde-haired Seeker.

At the last second, Malfoy pulled out of his dive and headed for the other side of pitch. Seeing that it was nothing more than a ruse, Harry made a sharp turn, barely missing the edge of the blade of grass and turned to look up where Malfoy loomed above him, a smirk on his face.

Harry glared up at Malfoy and rose up to continue his search for the Snitch.

It was after that clever tactical feint from Malfoy that Harry became even more incensed to try and find the Snitch before the Slytherin did. Moreover, the game seemed to have regained a newfound vigor in making more goals and saves from either team. The game continued on well into the late afternoon.

As the air began to chill around them, the sun now beginning to lower itself down in the distant horizon, Harry spotted the Snitch. The Snitch had finally decided to show itself. Unfortunately, as Harry began to make his way to the object, Malfoy had also spotted the golden ball. From the look of his determined face, Harry knew that he would need to do all he can to get to the Snitch before the other did.

"…and there goes Malfoy and Potter! Both had seen the Snitch!" Dean cried out and began cheering for Potter, earning a reprimanding glare from his Head of House, Minerva McGonagall. After all, a commentator was not supposed to be biased when hosting a game.

The stadium was nothing more than a blur as Harry and Malfoy raced neck to neck around the arena, furiously attempting to out-do each other with fancy tricks and stunts, as they strived to reach for the Snitch. Just as Malfoy was about to physically attack Harry for outdoing him on a triple sloth-grip roll, Harry shot off, leaving Malfoy hanging in midair, blinking in confusion, before getting his act together and following.

The crowd cheered wildly as the two Seekers flew in hot pursuit of the little winged ball. Round and round they flew up, down, and sideways, before they finally pulled out to fly straight ahead, with only pure speed determining the outcome of the race. It was then that Harry's Firebolt showed its superiority over Malfoy's Nimbus 2001, and Harry managed to snatch the Snitch triumphantly out of the air.

"Harry Potter's got the Snitch! Gryffindor wins! 250-120!"

The crowd erupted into a roar as Harry dropped down onto the ground where his teammates met him, congratulating him on a fantastic catch. And as Harry scanned the crowd, he spotted Hermione and Neville with Serenity in tow. After seeing the exuberant smile upon Serenity's face, Harry couldn't help but grin widely at her approaching figure. It seemed to him right then, that the Snitch he caught was done just for her.

"Potter! Potter! Go Gryffindor!"

""""""""""""

Malfoy was seething when he caught sight of Potter holding the Snitch, his bloody friends crowding around him. The Weasels, as always, crowded around the scar-head, the Mudblood, and oh, there was that foolish Moon. At her presence, Malfoy's face darkened when he witnessed the smiles exchanged between herself and Potter.

That Gryffindor cub was so much a saint that it was sickening! Trying to befriend anyone, no matter where they come from, who they associated themselves with, or what their blood was like! And it angered Draco like no other, besides Potter himself.

A sneer appeared on his face as he glowered towards the celebrating team and turned around, barking at his teammates to leave the Pitch, itching to hex anyone who so much as looked at him.

In his anger, Draco could only haphazardly recall that he changed, put away his broom, and had left the locker room, heading towards the castle. In the distance, he made out his teammates still lagging behind and could clearly hear the still-cheering idiots on the Quidditch Pitch. Up ahead, a few professors and students – apparently they wanted to be somewhere warm after the game.

Scowling, Draco Malfoy made an attempt to tune them out. He didn't need to be reminded of his failure to catch the bloody Snitch, no matter how hard he tried. Maybe when he finally arrived at the castle, he can get something warm – a hot cider or a hot chocolate, settle in his chair at the Commons, and forget about this night. At least, until his House mates arrived and tried to undermine his authority. If they did, he'd just have to remind them who they were speaking to. With a smirk, Malfoy's mood slowly changed for the better as he thought of the events that may unfold.

Playing the wonderful scenes depicting themselves in his mind, Malfoy passed a few still students without batting an eyelash at them. Normally, the Slytherin would have ordered for them to move but his awful mood had turned upside down since he found something more amusing. At the moment he was thinking about the jibes he would make about Nott and his current fixation for a certain low-class Ravenclaw when a flurry of murmurs and shocked voices were heard a few feet away from him. Right behind him were a larger group of students and a few professors had hurriedly approached the scene. It was obvious that an interesting event had just taken place.

Looking nonchalant, Draco Malfoy turned away from his normal route up to the castle to the site that was now amassing a long-range of students from different houses, of them, were a few of his own teammates. By the time he arrived at the scene, he was unprepared, but not surprised, at the sight that greeted his gray eyes.

In front of him laid a few Hogwarts students, unconscious and with blood pooled around their motionless corpse. There were about a couple of students that held their wands in their hands, albeit loosely, and the other wands were either near their own bodies or lying a few feet away from them – possibly forgetting about it in a scramble to get away.

This sight was not surprising to Draco Malfoy, but he was caught up in discovering that a few feet away from the students were centaurs with weapons in their hands. Their forms still, with the same amount of blood, and Draco secretly wondered if they were dead or simply unconscious. Draco was now wondering what sort of Dark Creature may be capable of doing such an act as this, when a loud gasp and another flurry of shocked voices infiltrated his mind, causing him to look away from the strewn bodies.

Another few feet away from his position, Hagrid had shown up – Draco didn't know when – and was now speaking with Professor Sinistra; the professor appeared to be the only one around that had the nerve to even take care of this current mess and was now questioning the half-giant. In the beginning all Draco wanted to do was grimace at the unruly half-giant, but when he caught sight of a shimmer on Hagrid's flashing hands and the front of his clothing, Draco forced himself to pay more attention on the man. There, on Hagrid's hands and clothing was blood. And not just any blood – Unicorn's blood.

Draco inwardly shuddered at the thought, repressing the images he could remember from first year. In that very first year, he had seen something he wishes he had not – an innocent unicorn being fed on by a deformed _thing_. He was informed that only those that fed on the blood of a unicorn were those that were desperate to survive, reverting to their primal instincts as they focus solely on staying alive.

"…unicorn's blood; disgusting," Draco heard a Ravenclaw mutter to her classmates who gasped in response and soon everyone within the vicinity knew what Hagrid had on his person.

"…you don't think?" another student inquired, quite possibly asking if Hagrid was the one who had killed the innocent beast.

"Of course not! No one in their right mind…" murmured another.

Soon a flurry of conversation and mild conspiracies passed from one person to another. That is, until Professor Sinistra stopped her intense conversation with the half-giant and turned to address the students. Motioning for the other professors to come closer, she ordered them to take the students into the castle and protect them in case the attacker was still within the vicinity.

"That goes for you as well, Mr. Malfoy." Professor Sinistra regarded him for a moment, after noticing how he had no inclination of moving from his spot near the unconscious students, "As a prefect, you should go with the students and protect them, as well. Do not put shame in the Slytherin house."

With a sneer, Malfoy turned from the site, despite the swelling amount of curiosity that wanted to win over him. The astronomy teacher had a point, he was a prefect and was honor bound to uphold his title. He was to _maintain order and discipline_, after all. With another sneer, Malfoy strode up the small incline and followed after the other students, his wand carefully held in his right hand as he looked at his surroundings, hoping against hope that whatever was out there would not come around any time soon.

He knew that whatever attacked the unicorns and centaurs could easily attack students as well. And as he reflected back on the site, Draco Malfoy knew that it was not picky on choosing whether it enjoyed purebloods, halfbloods, or mudbloods.

Carefully masking his fair features, Draco Malfoy strode across Hogwarts grounds more carefully than he cared to admit.

"""""""""""

Serenity had been talking with Hermione and Ginny about Quidditch, questioning about the moves used and what generally occurred after the event, when she spotted Harry and Ron coming out of the changing room with the rest of the team. She noted how happy Harry seemed to be and was relieved that, at least at this moment, Harry did not need to worry about the war and the expectations of the Wizarding World.

However all her thoughts ran dry when a loud voice – Headmaster Dumbledore's – was projected over the stands through _Sonorous._

"All students are to form into groups. Please find the prefects and follow them into the castle. Any professors that are available are to escort any students and return them to the castle. I will meet with you all shortly in the Great Hall."

Serenity, with the other students, immediately went from startled to curious and then, for some, to hysterical. A series of conclusions of their own design appeared in their head. However, Serenity simply stood in the sidelines and watched as the Headmaster quickly conversed with Hagrid before sending him off to help any wandering student nearby. Turning her attention back on her current position, she saw Hermione and Ron both take out their wands, trying to attract the attention of any nearby students.

Hermione shook her head at the disorganized student body and quickly muttering a _Sonorous _spell, "All students not accompanied with a current prefect, please come with me!"

Shortly afterward a dozen or so students quickly complied and the two Gryffindor prefects set to work.

Not long after, Ginny and Neville settled themselves at a closer distance to Harry, both with their wands drawn and wary of their environment. Noticing their guarded selves, Serenity reached into her robes and took out her oakwood, feeling the familiar warmth of her silver crystal.

"Alright, I believe we're ready," Hermione said, seemingly satisfied as all the students in their group had their wand out. Subsequently after a few short orders, they proceeded to make their way out of the Quidditch Pitch. And along the way, Professor Flamel appeared, thus calming more students in their company at the sight of the DADA professor.

Unintentionally Serenity found herself walking next to Harry, both of them lagging behind the rest of the students with Professor Flamel in the back and Hermione and Ron up at the very front of the group. Without a word the two continued to steadily follow the group at an even pace, neither wanting to walk ahead of the other nor fall behind. And Serenity found herself enjoying his company, even though they didn't say a word to the other.

However when she cast a sideway glance at the raven-haired teenager, a small frown settled on her features at how tense Harry appeared. Wordlessly, Serenity grabbed his hand. He whipped his head around and briefly looked at her before he turned his head to the side, a blush coloring his cheeks. In response, Serenity squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort her friend. Hesitantly, he squeezed in kind.

_I shall be by your side._

_Thank you._

"""""""""""

The Great Hall was bubbling with students, all of which were talking about what transpired to have caused all the professors to be rounded together, possessing such serious expressions on their faces. Currently the Headmaster was surrounded by the professors, speaking consistently with only two – Hagrid and Professor Sinistra. Not wanting to let her eyes linger too long on them, Serenity took the time to observe the room – catching wafts of the conversations amongst the students.

"I've seen it!"

"…yeah, blood!"

"…his shirt – unicorn's blood!"

"That can't be true!"

Ceaselessly, Serenity heard the whispers, the gasps, and arguments until she found a place in the far end of the Great Hall where most of the noise was blocked out save for a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Leaning against the barren wall, Serenity clutched her wand close to her heart. Everything seemed so surreal; the day went from a moment of total content to _this_. Students are now coming up with wild conclusions to furious accusations in only a span of less than two hours! How did it come to this; what went wrong?

"…due to today's unexpected event. I will have to ask that you all remain in the Great Hall. The Head Boy and Head Girl are in charge while the Professors and I are away, all prefects are to help and report anything of importance to them. A teacher shall come periodically and will inform you of anything you may need to know." Dumbledore announced his face quite grave and his eyes no longer holding their familiar sparkle.

Feeling helpless and frustrated, Serenity found herself not knowing what to do. In the past, she would not be inclined to do anything unless she absolutely had to because of her duties as a Senshi. Now, in this foreign world, she found herself wanting to do anything but wait.

"Don't lose sight of your objective."

"What am I supposed to do?" Serenity murmured to the familiar voice, her eyes trained on a spot on the ground.

"What you were sent here to do," Flamel firmly told her, tipping her chin up so he can see her reaction better. At the sight of her troubled eyes, his face hardened, "You cannot expect to be around for everything – not in this world, at the very least. All we expect from you is to keep on doing what you can."

"Students have been attacked before, magical animals as well, though none so much as today. How long will it be before the attacker makes itself known; how long until the attacks worsen to the point…?" Serenity trailed off, her voice rising from a crescendo before dying into nothing more than a whisper. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing more deaths, even if they were mere conjurations of her mind.

"Don't lose sight of your objective," Flamel repeated firmly, his green eyes boring into her crystalline blue orbs, "If you do, then I will be quite disappointed; the Serenity I know would not have given up or strayed in her path. Not when it involves friends that she dearly loves; a world that she wishes to protect."

Serenity closed her eyes, recalling the times when she was against so many odds but overcame them - the deaths of her friends, the rebirths, the thought of betrayal, and the heartaches. In the end, everything was back, her friends, her family, everything. At least, that's how it had been up until the last battle. Due to that encounter, her world had changed. She found herself to be quite alone, save for the reincarnation of Artemis as Professor Flamel, and although her Senshi were a part of herself, it wasn't the same as actually conversing with them. Her new friends were amicable, but she could clearly feel the distance between what close friends and simple acquaintances were. Everything was different, her role in this world, her place in the school…

"Although everything has changed; your role in this world has not." Flamel murmured before letting her go and raising himself up to his full height. His green eyes has softened to something akin to sympathy but his posture was still rigid, his face stoic.

"I understand…" Serenity whispered, her eyes wandering to her wand and recalling the silver crystal that was its wand core.

"I hope that you do," Flamel sternly nodded before turning around and walking away.

(My role in this world.) Serenity echoed within her head, turning from her wand to the students in front. Amongst them all, she caught sight of an untidy mass of black hair surrounded by his two best friends – a redhead and a bushy-haired young woman. Smiling to herself, Serenity returned her gaze only to find herself locking eyes with gray eyes belonging to a certain Slytherin.

Soon, Serenity found herself lost in the teenager's swirling gray eyes like molten silver. It wasn't long before she found the Slytherin within close proximity, startling her from her gaze. How could she not have noticed that he had moved from his position across the Hall to here?

"Find something interesting, have you?" Malfoy smirked, obviously amused by the blush coloring Serenity's cheeks at having been discovered.

"Not-not at all," Serenity stuttered and inwardly berated herself for it, especially when she felt herself blushing harder.

What kind of idiot was she?

"There's no need for you to lie, little Gryffindor. I don't mind," Malfoy's smirk grew even more and he leisurely placed himself right beside her in the back of the Great Hall. At this spot, no one would really pay the two of them any notice unless they purposefully took the time and effort to search for either one of them.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Serenity tried to make her voice sound harsh and uncaring, but instead drew the opposite effect – it was soft and not at all indifferent.

Instead of expecting a sneer or even a smirk to alight the face of the young Malfoy, Serenity found herself staring into shining gray eyes that belied amusement and the smirk had faded from his face to be replaced by a mischievous grin. His face loomed closer to hers and soon found herself incapable of turning away.

His breath was intoxicatingly close; his pale hands soft and unblemished were on either side of her arms, preventing her of escape. And his eyes, his gray eyes solely focused on hers, his lips invitingly close were alarmingly tantalizing.

Slowly, methodically Malfoy let his hands trail up her arms to her cheek and deftly touched it, tracing his fingers upon her cheek over her lips and back again. His lips then formed into a small smile, barely noticeable but eminent on his face.

"Purely out of boredom, little Gryffindor," Malfoy drew out a grin and watched as her expression changed from wonder to disappointment to a glower, making the grin on Malfoy's face stretch wider. If anyone else had paid attention, they would have thought that Draco's face was that of a beauty. Serenity however did not find any appreciation for it, seeing as she was nothing more than a victim for the Slytherin's amusement.

"I should have known," Serenity shook her head, and pushed herself away from the Slytherin, earning only a small query as he continued to observe the Gryffindor. And as Serenity rose to stand up, Malfoy's arms shot out again and tried to bring her back onto the floor, where he currently resided.

"Let go of me, Malfoy," Serenity hissed.

"Are you an idiot, if you get up now, you'll draw attention and I will not have that – they'll find myself in the company of a Gryffindor!" Malfoy harshly explained, forcefully pushing Serenity back onto the ground.

"Get over yourself, who cares?"

"Are you daft? What will your precious Gryffindor friends think, if they find you in the company of a Slytherin – especially with the likes of me?"

At his words, Serenity quieted. It really would be troublesome to have gone out of her way to try and form some sort of relationship with the Gryffindors only to have it dissolve simply because she was in the company of a Slytherin – one that troubled her to no end.

"Gryffindors; impulsive and brash." Malfoy muttered.

"Slytherins; mischievous and selfish." Serenity countered.

"I'll have you know that Slytherins strive to fulfill their plans; adapting however they can to survive."

"And I'll have you know that Gryffindors are noble!"

"Could have fooled me," Malfoy scoffed, earning a hard-earned glare from Serenity.

"And what do you mean by that, Malfoy?" Serenity glowered.

"Surely not all Gryffindors attempt to live up to their name and bring justice to whatever is wrong in the world."

Silence was his only response and as Draco turned to the silvery-blonde haired teenager, he knew that he was right. Not everything was as it usually appears to be; not all Gryffindors would be vying for justice when faced with a difficult decision of seeking retribution. Simply reflect back to Peter Pettigrew, the betrayer of Lily and James Potter.

"Not everything is black and white, are they?"

"It never was and it never will be."

Sighing, Serenity leaned against the wall and turned to regard the Slytherin who looked to be lost in thought. Noticing her stare, Malfoy met her gaze and possessed another smirk on his face.

"Again, little Gryffindor?"

"You are so conceited!" Serenity scowled, and forcefully turned her attention back on the mass of students; Harry was currently sitting with his sea of friends, half-listening to whatever Ginny and Neville were telling him. Whatever it was that they were telling him was not really comforting the Boy-Who-Lived, but making him even more wary of his surroundings.

"Not conceited; observant." Malfoy retaliated, clearly amused.

"I can't take this, anymore. I'll just cast disillusionment on myself or something,"

Expecting a retort, Serenity was faintly startled to receive none. As she cast a backwards glance, she was simply met with vivid gray eyes staring at her.

Whispering the incantation, Serenity felt the flood of cold running over her and when she dared to look again, she found herself still looking at Malfoy. Shaking her head, she blended into the crowd, making sure that she did not accidentally bump into anyone as she made her way back to the side of a certain raven-haired teenager by the name of Harry Potter.

(Remember your objective; your purpose; the reason why you're here.) Serenity chanted in her head, trying her hardest not to turn back and into the company of Draco Malfoy. Although she found his company appalling, she could not help but enjoy his presence. He is what Ami would surely call him, an enigma.

Still feeling Malfoy's eyes trained on her person, Serenity involuntarily shuddered before she found Harry and countered the charm, revealing herself and was about to sit down when an unnamed hand clamped down on her arm and brought her to a section of the Great Hall that she never noticed before.

Before she had time to inspect the place, familiar pale arms wrap themselves around her torso, tantalizingly soft lips finding themselves on her neck. Warm breath sending shivers down her spine. It wasn't long before a low moan released itself from her throat, ensuring the assailant to continue. A finger wandered to Serenity's chin and pushed upward until she met his gray orbs.

"You, dear Gryffindor, are intoxicating," Malfoy murmured as he drew closer to her, his arms bringing her closer to his chest the heat from their bodies mingling, leaving her breathless with anticipation.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Serenity's voice was breathless, the very feel of his body so close to hers made her quiver.

He responded by touch alone as he traced her chin and bent down kissing her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, trailing kiss after kiss on her face, sending Serenity into ecstasy.

"M-Malfoy…" Serenity gasped as she felt Malfoy push her hard against the wall of this unnamed room, devoid of life aside from their own.

The friction of the air electrified and sparkled, every touch and every kiss that Malfoy sent drove her over the edge. His kisses were like drugs, and he had yet to even kiss her very lips.

"Sweet Gryffindor," Malfoy purred as he teasingly drew his lips closer to her own and she could almost feel it so close to her own. She could see through her half-lidded eyes his perfect lips almost touching her own.

"Can you feel it as I do?" Malfoy softly inquired, kissing the sides of her mouth.

"Have you fallen to these emotions running through my mind as I have watched you?" Malfoy continued his warm lips pressing themselves ever-closer to her lips.

"Have you?" Malfoy asked, pausing momentarily to stare at the glazed eyes of Serenity and when he felt her arms rise up the crook of his neck, he grinned in response before his head descended and captured her lips into his own.

His kisses were like heaven and hell combined – fast and slow, sweet yet agonizing.

It was wrong but it felt so right at the same time.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""

Quidditch:

Katie Bell – Chaser (7th year)

Ron Weasley – Keeper

Harry Potter – Seeker

Demelza Robins – Chaser

Ginny Weasley – Chaser

Ritchie Coote – Beater

Jimmy Peakes – Beater

Katie Bell is the new team captain, seeing as it was her 7th year.

Slytherins:

Draco Malfoy – Seeker

Vincent Crabbe – Beater

Gregory Goyle – Beater

Miles Bletchley – Keeper

Montague – Chaser

Vaisey – Chaser

Warrington – Chaser

For the simple reason that I am unsure about whom to put for this year's Slytherin team – I am using quite a few of the old teammates that probably should have graduated earlier.

Malfoy, is most likely the team captain.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them.

Modified: August 3, 2008.

"""""""

The night passed peacefully with their Head of Houses returning and announcing that it was safe for them to return to their Common Rooms. Students obligingly left the Great Hall with ease, each glad to know that whoever or whatever attacked their fellow classmates would not return at the present time. As the students left the Great Hall, two other students wordlessly left the unnamed room and parted ways; neither one daring to look at or think about the other. Yet everyone knows that thinking about it, and actually succeeding has a low chance of success.

When Serenity and Draco parted ways, the event never ceased to cross their mind. Constant images, thoughts, and unexplainable feelings coursed through their mind, their body, and their soul. For Serenity, the feelings she felt haunted her more than the Slytherin Prince.

Regret and guilt overcame her senses, clenching her heart to the brink that all she wanted was to fall unconscious or die. Her previous action that evening was unforgivable in her eyes – how could she _betray_ him. Her love should be unquestionable, unfailing, she was to remain faithful. And she was all of those things and more, until now.

Serenity couldn't help but wince in pain at the thought of her betrayal. Images of her lucid affair with Draco Malfoy began to conjure up in her mind before she squashed it down. Bile began to rise up from her throat followed by her tears.

(No! Don't cry, don't cry!) Serenity berated herself; she was always the emotional one amongst her friends and had reason to believe it was the same here in Hogwarts.

"Serenity?" a familiar male voice inquired from behind her.

She knew who that voice belonged to and really didn't feel like facing him. How could she face this person when she just kissed his most hated rival in this school? She kissed Draco Malfoy! At that thought, Serenity Moon felt dirty and more shameful for her actions. She didn't deserve to be within this person's presence; she did not deserve to be addressed by him, by Harry James Potter.

"Are you alright? Usually you would be asleep or with Hermione and Ginny or even by the window looking outside. This is the first time I've seen you by yourself tucked in the corner, in the dark and all," Harry's voice was laced with so much concern that Serenity didn't know how to respond.

(If only he knew…) Serenity remorsefully thought in her head as she curled up even tighter in her chair at the far corner of the Gryffindor Common Room.

When he received nothing in reply, Harry felt helpless. Normally he wouldn't bother with his classmates' affairs or concerns unless they confided in him first or if he was involved in the matter. However, there was something about Serenity that refused to let him leave her alone. She was like a beacon of light, that if he even saw an ounce of her sadness he felt responsible in trying to counter that – he wanted to see her happy.

(Merlin! What is this…?) Harry froze in his trail of thoughts, not yet certain of the feelings he felt. This sudden emotion that washed over him was indescribable and foreign. It swelled and grew inside of him and as he stared at Serenity, this sensation intensified.

"Harry," Serenity mumbled, raising her eyes to meet his own, "Thank you for your concern."

"Of course, you're a friend," Harry replied, unsure as to how to act around the girl. He felt like drowning in those blue eyes but managed to resist.

"Friends," Serenity faintly whispered just barely enough for Harry to hear, "It's nice to have friends, isn't it? To trust, to rely on, to just be around…"

"Serenity…" Harry unknowingly moved closer and knelt down in front of her, caressing the top of her head and she didn't resist him.

(How could I have betrayed him like that?) Serenity shouted to herself, closing her eyes tightly, and this time felt her mental barriers collapse as her tears fell down the sides of her face.

(Mamo-chan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.)

When Harry saw Serenity break down, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, bringing her body close to his and let her cry on his shoulder. Although she didn't explain what was wrong, he would still be there for her.

"I'm here, Serenity. It's alright," Harry soothingly whispered in her ear as he held and comforted her in her time of need.

If any of their House noticed this exchange, they never said a word about this particular event.

"""""""""""

The evening seemed to be the longest that the silver-haired maiden had felt during her stay in Hogwarts; first the kiss with a certain Slytherin Prince, then the breakdown at the Common Room, and now – this.

"I-I betrayed him!" Serenity blurted out once the door opened, meeting an unsuspecting Defense against the Dark Arts Professor.

Said professor blinked, taken aback but the sudden outburst before he fully digested the young Gryffindor's words and stepped back inside his classroom.

"Indeed; why don't we discuss this further inside?" Professor Flamel invited, watching the distraught Gryffindor enter with red-rimmed eyes and settle in an available chair in front of his desk. Noticing her condition, he quickly floo-called a house-elf for a pot of tea.

"Take this, I believe that you need it," Professor Flamel handed the girl a cup of tea and watched as she sipped it. For a few seconds no words were changed between them, both simply dwelling in their own thoughts and sipping the chamomile tea.

"You've calmed down well enough, I trust," Professor Flamel broke the silence and watched as Serenity visibly jumped but calmed down when she saw who it was.

"A bit," she confessed before taking her wandering eyes off her surroundings and back to the tea in her hand, tracing its outer rims while trying to formulate the rights words to say.

"Earlier, after they found the bodies, I betrayed him. I don't know how it happened, I shouldn't have, but I did…" Serenity uttered, bitterness laced in her tone of voice, it was obvious to the Professor that she was upset.

"I kissed another man! I kissed someone that wasn't Mamo-chan!" Serenity cried out, throwing the cup of tea to the side, not caring that it crashed against the far side of the wall, not caring that it shattered to pieces, not caring at all.

"I was supposed to remain faithful, yet I betrayed him and kissed Draco Malfoy. He is a Slytherin of all people and a supposed follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort!" Serenity continued, leaning against the back of her chair, her arms closed around her form, distressed.

Throughout her whole tirade, Professor Flamel remained quiet and when she crashed her cup, he simply retrieved his wand from his robes and fixed it with a flick of his wrist. And when she grew quiet, finished with her diatribe, he remained in his seat, watching each of her actions until finally he heard her breathing slow down. Slowly, methodically Professor Flamel left his seat and walked to her position in the chair.

"If you think I care, you're horribly mistaken," Professor Flamel lowly stated, his eyes unnervingly hard as they glared at her. At his words, her eyes widened, shock entering her system as they stared at the past reincarnation of Artemis.

"I have not taken up the position as the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor to listen to a teenager's rant. Nor have I offered my eyes and ears, my services to you, simply to have you tell me that all that was wrong is because of a _kiss_. If that is enough to send you into hysterics, then I have no idea what happened to the young Queen that my last incarnation served! If this is what happened to her, then I am sorely disappointed!" Professor Flamel coldly informed her.

"Artemis!" Serenity gasped, bewildered by the personality that this man possessed, it was different from the Artemis she remembered and cared about. However, as she dwelled on his words and her past actions she was disappointed with herself. To think, she had broken down because of a kiss that she shared, even if it was with the Slytherin Prince.

"If you don't remember, your _Mamo-chan_ does not exist in this world, not physically. He is simply a memory that lives within you; his powers are a part of yours." Professor Flamel explained, "So how can you betray such a person?"

Serenity opened her mouth, about to speak but froze at the harsh glare that her professor and past advisor sent her, it made her shudder and shrink, it made her feel ashamed. Just as her arms reached out, wrapping themselves around her petite form, additional warm arms draped themselves over her, pulling her in a comforting embrace.

"Love is a weakness as much as a strength. Many fighters, warriors, rulers and intellectuals alike have risen to great heights only to fall when faced with love. Love has always been your greatest asset, your compassionate nature, your blinding trust and naiveté. However, love has also given you heartache and driven you to great dangers and betrayal." Professor Flamel's words were no longer as harsh as it once had been, no longer as cold but despite the kindness in his tone, his words still stung Serenity.

The arms around Serenity loosened and she felt the Professor shift in his stance to kneel on the ground and face her, his eyes aglow in the semi-dark room.

"Do not fall because of these irrelevant notions, Ms. Moon. Focus on what you are to do next; what your goals are in this world. Your past life is no longer made available to you. This world, these people are different and you, though people may argue that you are not, are no longer the princess, the girl that you once were."

Serenity's mind was in complete confusion at his words and she looked up, questioning his words.

"You have grown much since my past self has seen you. For you, it may not have been so long, but my own self does not deem it the same. Your actions are much different. There was a time when you would have treated your schoolwork without a care, but now you deem it more worthy of your attention. And your training has become more intense, and although I do hear complaints at times, you are every bit as focused as when you began.

I can almost believe why my counterpart holds such high respect for you.

So long as you remember where your duties and your heart lies, I believe that you can accomplish what you have been set out to do. This world is where have you been sent to defend and I truly hope that will always remember that." Professor Flamel revealed a smile now on his once-stern and cold face.

"I hope so, too," Serenity whispered.

"You are free to choose, free to think, and free to do what you wish," Professor Flamel rose from his posture and stood up, "This is a new world, Ms. Moon, and you are living in it."

""""""""""""

Since the conversation, Serenity felt as if the trivial kiss meant nothing compared to what she was assigned to do. She was forced, more than ever, to set her priorities to the hilt. Given time, she processed all that she was told and meant to see and could not believe that she has fallen so far from her original intentions.

The Cauldron had given her a duty and thus far, she had accomplished little next to nothing for all the time given to her. True, she had begun to learn about the culture and how to cast this world's magic, and had even learned more about its History. But as intriguing as it all sounded, they were not as important compared to her duties.

Her goal, first and foremost, was to protect this world.

"The world that I love…"Serenity recalled the words that the Cauldron had spoken all those months ago. As the words escaped her lips, she froze as she recalled the other words that the Cauldron told her along the way.

"To the place where you must return, to the person you must protect…" Serenity murmured, "That must be Harry. Who else would I be assigned to protect where Voldemort is concerned? He is after Harry, and I – I am after HIM."

Serenity tipped her head back and looked longingly up at the night sky, its stars glittering brightly. With a sigh, Serenity pushed herself up to her feet and with one last glance she sauntered back into the castle.

She had plans to make, things to research, and people to protect.

""""""""""""

Sunday is the most carefree day out of the seven days of the week. The day where there are no schools in session, no work to bunker through – unless, of course, you choose to do so – and no high expectations expected from your peers. Sunday in Hogwarts is spent freely or as open as anyone would expect from you.

For Serenity Moon, however, she had chosen this day exclusively to begin her preparations as ordained from the Cauldron. In order to seal Chaos, one must first defeat the enemy that he is currently residing and, for her, that would be the infamous Dark Lord Voldemort. Therefore, Serenity found herself early on Sunday morning and before breakfast, mind you, in Hogwarts' library perusing the History section. After all, she should find all that she can on her enemy and the History section would be the suitable place to go.

(It's not like I can walk up to the Dark Lord and ask him what his strengths and weaknesses are.) Serenity mused as she found a few books and took them to a nearby table. (And I cannot possibly ask Harry about this, either. He would get suspicious…)

Opening one of the more famous titles – _The_ _Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ – Serenity began flipping through the pages, stopping only when there was a mention of the Dark Lord. Each page in the book held interesting, though horrifying, information about the deeds and powers that the Dark Lord possessed.

Closing the book, Serenity moved on up until a shadow fell over her page just as she reached an interesting chapter dedicated to the political views as to why the Dark Lord received so many supporters.

"Ah, _Dark Lords of the United Kingdom_, I have received varying responses on that particular tome, and I for one have not wholeheartedly enjoyed it. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion," a wizened wizard stated and Serenity was broken from her intense concentration. Looking up, Serenity was slightly startled at the sight of the Headmaster but quickly recovered and simply waited for the elderly wizard to continue speaking, assuming that he had a reason to grace her with his presence.

"May I?" the Headmaster waved his hand towards the wooden chair next to her and at her nod of acquiescence the wizard settled down, his hands folded neatly on his lap. "It has come to my attention that I have not spoken to you for quite some time. Thus, I have sought you out. Your professors have informed me that you are doing remarkably well for someone that has only shown up only a few months ago."

"Sir may I ask what this is all about?" Serenity cut in, deciding that she really did not have the patience to simply wait for the wizard to go through a myriad of idle conversation before telling her what his purpose entailed.

For a few seconds the wizard remained silent, momentarily studying the girl, but Serenity held firm. The seconds passed until finally the wizard subtly pulled out his wand, casting a silencing spell around their section of the library for any eavesdroppers and then put the wand back up under his sleeves.

"I had hoped to take this matter up until a later time, and in a more secure location. However, I suppose that this would have to do. You do have other matter to attend to," the Headmaster stated, twinkling blue eyes erupting as he took the moment to look at the few tomes and books on the table.

"I assume that you wish to speak to me about the attacks?" Serenity bluntly stated.

The Headmaster lightly chuckled at the Gryffindor before fixing himself up into a formidable position as he leaned into the table, his fingers fixed together into an arch, his blue eyes twinkling against the mid-afternoon sunlight.

"You are correct, Ms. Moon. Forgive me for not asking you sooner, but I had the notion that I should bide my time and let you settle your affairs. However, due to recent circumstances, I cannot afford it." Dumbledore explained and at her nod of understanding, he continued, "As you very well know, there have been unpredictable attacks around this institution and the Forbidden Forest."

"This has already been discussed before with Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Dennis Creevy. However, I wonder if anything enlightening has come to your attention since then," Dumbledore inquired.

"Not to my knowledge, Headmaster. The only information I have gathered were based through my observations and what Mr. Creevy has informed all of us," Serenity stated, "Do you know what…or who is attacking magical creatures and students alike?"

"Nothing that we have not heard before, Mr. Malfoy has already informed me what he had seen yesterday afternoon. Centaurs, unicorns, and students have been attacked near the Forbidden Forest – this has been the worst thus far. If these attacks continue…" the Headmaster trailed off, his normally twinkling blue eyes closing beneath his eyelids, not wishing to continue.

"I do not wish the school to close, either," Serenity concurred, "Therefore I shall offer my services…"

"There is no need for that, Ms. Moon," Dumbledore interrupted, "You are a student in this school and as a student, it is the staff's duty to protect its students from any harm. If you were to pursue such a dangerous task, that in itself is unthinkable. Let us professors worry about it while you tend to other matters and other personal duties you may have."

With that, the Headmaster rose and bid her a pleasant day before dismantling the privacy charms and left the library. All of this Serenity only half-recalled as the elderly wizard's words settled into her mind, and she finally discovered the meaning behind it.

(Personal duties…) Serenity lightly chuckled as she rose from her seat, going back to the bookshelves, this time searching another topic altogether.

(Maybe if I am lucky and the Fates are not quite so cruel, this creature or person is tied to the bigger goal…) Serenity mused as she selected a few tomes nearby and placed them on the table.

"""""""""""

The whole Sunday was spent in the library, only to be disturbed by nightfall when a meddlesome nurse by the name of Madame Poppy Pomfrey came and ordered her to go to the Great Hall and get a decent meal followed by a night's rest – it seemed that the stern woman still watched over her after all this time.

With great reluctance, much to her surprise, Serenity obeyed the woman and went into the Great Hall, taking the seat nearest the door, and coincidentally found herself to be sitting near the Golden Trio. Not much occurred aside from a large amount of whispering between the three and, on occasion, from a few of their closest friends. With mild observation, Serenity could only suspect that they were talking about last afternoon's attack mingled in with other suspected rumors.

(It is not my place…) Serenity reminded herself; not wanting to get them involved too deeply when they should focus on other matters.

"Serenity, where have you been?" Ginny inquired, jabbing her fork into her pot roast, "Hermione has been looking for you."

Serenity turned her attention toward Hermione, a look of concern apparent on her face and to her side were similar expressions on Harry and Ron's face.

"Sorry to worry you, I've been in the library since morning."

"The library?" Ron cried out, incredulous at the mere thought, "Bloody hell, it's Sunday!"

"It wasn't for homework – just a personal project of mine," Serenity explained, amused by Ron's expression.

"I-I don't believe it," Ron shook his head, taking a bite out of his meal, "You're turning into a …a…Hermione!"

"Ron Weasley!" Hermione scoffed, swatting the boy's arm.

"It's true, 'Mione," Harry grinned, earning a glare from their bushy-haired friend and a chuckle from surrounding peers, "The only person to spend almost as much time as you in the library is Serenity, aside from a few other Ravenclaws."

"You two are incorrigible!" Hermione huffed, quickly dismissing their statements and turned her attention back toward Serenity.

"We're worried about you, Serenity; something must have happened last night in order for you to…" Hermione began, worry evident in her brown eyes.

"I know that we haven't known each other for a long period of time, but…" Hermione continued.

Serenity froze, Hermione's words digging into her skin as she recalled last night's incident. Of course her breakdown in the Common Room would have spread throughout the other Gryffindors, if not the whole school. Closing her eyes, Serenity forced herself to take a deep breath and try to manage enough courage to answer the inquisitive Gryffindor. A part of her dearly wanted to jump out of her chair and run away, but she would not. If she was going to move on from her past, if she was to build a deeper connection with the Golden Trio, this would be a simple obstacle, a simple step toward that road.

"There's no need to worry about me, I was being silly and foolish… It's over now, I already spoke to Professor Flamel about it," Serenity explained, forcing a small smile from her face.

"Are you sure?" Hermione pressed, but the worry in her eyes were slowly fading away even as Serenity nodded her head in assent, causing the bushy-haired young woman to sigh in relief.

Hermione dropped the subject, followed by Ron; however, Harry remained doubtful as he continued to study the silver-blonde haired girl.

"Harry?" Serenity regarded the messy-haired teenager and smiled up at him, "Don't worry so much, it's better to put all that effort into something else."

He only frowned more but decided not to question her, instead turning his attention back to Ron who was currently talking about the recent Quidditch Match, bringing a team of Gryffindors to participate in the conversation. Throughout all of this, Harry chatted and contributed every now and then but a part of him watched Serenity from the corner of his eyes until she left. And unbeknownst to the 'Boy-Who-Lived' another student watched but from a different position in the vast Hall, gray eyes carefully watched the new student before it turned its attention to something else.

"""""""""""""""

Every chance Serenity received, she instantly took that allotted time period to rush to the library, hastily greeting Madame Pince before finding a tome or scroll that she recently discovered and read. It was evident to any student that happened to have seen the Gryffindor that she was involved in something that caused her to behave in such a way.

Her mysterious and confusing manner caused quite a number of students to inquire about her behavior and whereabouts, before finding out about her daily routine of entering the library. Since then a few would attempt to coax her out of her niche by the corner of the for a walk out on the grounds or just to hang out, but all efforts were in vain as the girl refused to leave her spot. More days passed by and soon almost all of them have long-since given up.

And in the now-familiar niche that everyone labeled as Serenity's, the recognizable Gryffindor was pouring over a scroll that she had discovered earlier that day about long-forgotten Creatures of the Night. _Atrum Bestia_, the lengthy scroll was called and proved to be quite informative. As she unrolled the length even more, she quickly got up from her seat, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open, agape at the string of sentences that she had just come across. Seconds ticked by as her eyes darted from left to right, absorbing all the information that she had suddenly come across. And then…

"I can't believe it…" Serenity croaked out, "I just…impossible…"

"Ms. Moon, please contain yourself this instant!" Madame Pince scolded, causing the teenager to whip around and suddenly blush from her previous actions. It seemed that she had reacted rather poorly, causing her chair to collapse on the ground, earning many stares and the stack of books, tomes, and scrolls to fall over in the process.

"I apologize, Madame Pince, please forgive me?" Serenity smiled sweetly to the librarian, causing a huff of indignation before the woman nodded in assent and began the process of returning to her duties.

"I need to see the Headmaster…" Serenity murmured to herself, quickly tying the scroll back up but as she did so, a shadow fell over her shoulders.

"The Headmaster is that who you replaced me with?" a drawl came from behind her shoulder and she shuddered as pale arms suddenly swept her up from behind.

"Hmm, little Gryffindor?" the familiar voice continued before a kiss was suddenly sent at the crook of her neck.

"Malfoy," Serenity hissed, eyes narrowing as she attempted to wriggle out of the boy's clutches. And as she did so, Serenity found herself staring at a very amused Draco Malfoy, his trademark smirk apparent on his face.

"Aren't we feisty this afternoon? Are you afraid that the old man will see you having an affair with me? I can't say that I blame him, I am a Malfoy, after all," Malfoy continued to smirk, earning a scowl to appear on Serenity's face, making his smirk transform into a grin.

"What do you want, Malfoy? Are you so bored with your current affairs that you now have to meddle with my life?" Serenity sighed, she had been relieved that the Slytherin had left her alone the past few days, almost a week, and had hoped that he never involved himself in her life.

"Bored, yes, but meddling is something else. You see, little cub, I'm already a part of your life," the Slytherin purred as he sauntered over to her, placing his arms between her body, trapping her behind the wooden desk, "Our first meeting, our first discoveries, and our first kiss, says it all…"

"That may be true, Malfoy, but if are a part of my life, you are nothing more than a speck of dust," Serenity glowered, forcefully pushing the Slytherin away as she managed to catch him off guard.

Before he could retaliate, Serenity hurriedly left with the scroll safely in her hands. She had no time to deal with small obstacles like Malfoy, she had more pressing matters to deal with, and one of them would hopefully manage to get resolved before nightfall.

To be continued….

""""""""""""""""


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Needed

Author: Cheska

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

This chapter, if you are wondering, is created to bring the storyline up to speed, it contains _plenty_ of information about what the characters will face for Year 6.

In addition, I will point out that what happened with that kiss scene… That was simply what it was – a kiss scene.

Modified: August 5, 2008.

"""""""""

Draco Malfoy was in a foul mood since late afternoon, and before that the Slytherin Prince was filled with disinterest in almost everything that he had come across. Just when he came up with the absolutely fantastic idea of playing with the Gryffindor cub, the little lion had the nerve to shove and hiss at him to go away. She even audacity to refuse his kisses, and even more shocking, she told him that _he_, Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, and Slytherin Sex God, meant nothing more to her than a mere _speck of dust_. The little Gryffindor left after that incident, not even giving him a chance to just show her what he can do!

No one messes with a Malfoy without facing the consequences, nobody.

(Moon, you will certainly see that Draco Malfoy is _not_ a small part of your life.)

""""""""""

Serenity Moon had been standing in front of the familiar gargoyle statue for what would one assume an approximate amount of 3 minutes. Her hands were clutched firmly on the weathered scroll that contained a part of the answer that the staff and many students had been looking for. In the beginning she had been eager to just run over to the Headmaster's office and proudly proclaim that she found out what had been attacking the students and magical animals alike. Now, now she was hesitant yet filled with fervent desire to go to the old man.

(He's right there, just go up there…spout off a number of sweets, get the gargoyle out of the way, and tell him!) Serenity shouted.

Her plan was perfectly reasonable and just about anyone could pull it off. Nevertheless, Serenity could not bring herself to execute the simple plan. Seconds followed by minutes…and then just as Serenity took a step forward, the gargoyle jumped, surprising the silver-blonde haired teenager.

Out of the small passage came a very tired Professor McGonagall. At first, Serenity was unsure how to act but simply settled for staring at the normally stern Transfiguration Professor. Said Professor stared at the young teenager for a single moment before addressing one of her students.

"Ms. Moon, may I ask what you are doing in this portion of the castle?"

Serenity paused, biting her lip as she contemplated on her answer – she was almost, almost going to make up a weak excuse and return to the Common Room, maybe back to the library, or simply somewhere far away rather than encounter the Headmaster. But her Gryffindor courage had to appear and so…

"Is the Headmaster in his office, Professor?"

McGonagall studied the girl and noted that the young teenager firmly held a weathered old scroll in her right hand, "He is, Ms. Moon. I assume that the parchment in your hand is something of grave importance?"

"Ah…" Serenity blushed and stared at the scroll in her right hand, almost forgetting that she even carried it with her, "Yes, it's a …personal project that I assigned to myself. I felt that the information that I have recently come across…"

Not waiting for the teenager to complete her bungle of words, the Deputy Headmistress broke into a faint smile, amused by her actions, "Very well; the password is Canary Creams. Good day, Ms. Moon."

Professor McGonagall promptly strode pass her student and left, not taking the time to even see what Serenity would do next. Quite sure that she would take the offered password and head for the Headmaster, revealing her latest find.

And the Deputy Headmistress, Mistress of Transfiguration, and close confidant of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had reason to believe that her student would do just that for in fact, Serenity Moon, exactly did do those actions albeit reluctantly.

"Ah, Ms. Moon, come in, take a seat." The old Headmaster's blue eyes twinkled in merriment as he caught sight of the nervous-looking Gryffindor, "Would you like some lemon drops?"

Serenity shuffled inside, feeling the warmth emitting from the fireplace behind the wizened wizard, and the small chirrup originating from his red phoenix, Fawkes. She was passing through several paintings and many paraphernalia before settling on the chair across from the mahogany desk belonging to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

"…no, thank you, Headmaster, maybe another time," Serenity replied after a moment's decision. Normally she would have jumped at the chance in receiving sweets, but she was afraid that her stomach would not settle well at this moment.

"I'll take your word for it. Not many take up my offer for these sweets," Dumbledore lazily informed as he popped the yellow substance into his mouth, emitting a smile of appreciation while he took a few seconds to savor the flavor.

Although Serenity was amused by the Headmaster's actions, the overwhelming feeling of nervousness in the pit of her stomach was too great for the Gryffindor to ignore. As such, Serenity simply sat in her seat until Dumbledore finished his Lemon Drop and fully returned his attention on her.

"Headmaster…" Serenity hesitantly began, fumbling with the scroll before setting the old parchment on the mahogany table, "You may want to read the paragraph near the end…"

And Albus Dumbledore did as he was instructed, his first glance remained on the bold italicized letters of the title and purpose of the scroll, followed by a few seconds of quickly scanning its contents before he slowly unfurled the aged papyrus and his blue eyes dimmed as he read and processed the information pertaining what Serenity obviously wanted him to know.

"This is grave news, Ms. Moon," Dumbledore's voice fell into melancholy as he rolled the paper back up, "If, what you have discovered remains true, then it would only be a matter of time before…"

"There must be something that can be done, Headmaster!" Serenity interrupted the troubled man, "We cannot simply let this school fall into ruin."

The Gryffindor's outburst momentarily stunned the Headmaster as he suddenly became aware of what he had been voicing aloud and felt a pang of shame. He had almost given up hope for his beloved school because of what he had just read. How could he have done that?

A deep sigh, a furrow of brows, and a contemplative silence settled in the office.

"Forgive me, I have lost myself," the Headmaster apologized, shocking the seemingly young student; "I do have reason for my actions, however."

"There is always hope, even in times like this, Headmaster. And right now, we surely could use one," Serenity weakly smiled at the old man who faintly quirked his mouth in response.

"That we could, Ms. Moon…" Dumbledore nodded and silence reigned again over the two, broken only by an occasional trill from Fawkes.

Minutes passed as the two shared this moment to muse over the words they have read and the possibilities of their success in a time such as this. The moment, however, was broken when the door to the office opened and two professors stepped inside, namely, Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Albus…" Professor McGonagall began but paused when she caught sight of Serenity simply sitting across from the Headmaster, lost in thought.

"Ah…Minerva, Severus…please come sit down," Dumbledore waved the two in, almost indifferent to their presence as he idly conjured a set of chairs for the two professors.

"Albus, what's going on, did something happen?" Minerva McGonagall voiced out her concern, while Snape simply studied the room, his charcoal black eyes resting momentarily on Serenity, then the Headmaster, before it settled on the scroll that settled near the edge of the mahogany desk.

"Perhaps…" Professor Snape began, earning the attention of all individuals, "The answer lies within the content of that scroll."

"You are correct, Severus," Dumbledore nodded absently, his blue eyes returning on the scroll and his face began to grimace as he recalled what was in it.

Silence again, but not as long as two figures in the room would have liked as Minerva, once again, disrupted the quiet.

"Does it have something to do with the attacks, are the children…" Minerva began agitation apparent on her face.

"…If, what Ms. Moon has discovered is correct," the Headmaster began, earning the attention of both of his prized professors, "Then, I fear, Hogwarts…and quite possibly the Wizarding World, is in great danger."

"More than the Dark Lord? I think not." scoffed Professor Snape, his skepticism reigning supreme.

"Perhaps not, but with the increase of attacks, anything is possible," the Headmaster stated, his eyes not once leaving the aged scroll.

"What is it, Albus?" Minerva faintly wondered, turning her attention from the Headmaster, to Serenity, and then to the scroll.

"A Lich, Professor, it's a Lich," Serenity broke in.

Shock, bewilderment, and disbelief rang through as the words that the two figures in the office had feared to say was finally stated. The simple four letters had become true and it was met with disaster.

""""""""""

Gryffindor Tower, a warm and comforting atmosphere located on the seventh floor behind the "Fat Lady." Inside several squashy armchairs and tables belied the Common Room with a tepid fire thriving from the Fireplace. It is within this Common Room that the illustrious Golden Trio seated themselves in their favorite spot, nearest the Fireplace surrounded by their closest friends.

In the present moment, Harry and Ron were found to be playing Wizard's Chess, and as always, Ron was dominating over his best friend. Ginny has just recently left them behind and decided to head upstairs with a few of her roommates. A few minutes later, Neville was accompanied by Dean and Seamus to another section of the Common Room, intending to help them with a Herbology assignment. Hermione, as always, was surrounded by a stack of textbooks and appeared to be reading about Charms. Everything appeared to be normal to any ordinary individual that late Friday afternoon just a little bit after NEWT Potions, at least, for the time being.

A loud slam and a frustrated groan interrupted the atmosphere, gaining everyone's attention, especially her two best friends. Hermione Granger had just willingly slammed her precious Charms textbook on the coffee table and was now ignoring it. Only one thing could come out of this questionable event.

"She's lost it." Ron loudly exclaimed after sharing a brief look with Harry.

"I can't stand it, I just cannot!" Hermione muttered as she instinctively began making her way to the entrance of the Common Room.

"'Mione?" Harry began, quickly abandoning the chessboard along with Ron.

Hermione continued to ignore the two but stopped her musing when she noticed how her two best friends had intercepted her and were now standing in her way to the portrait.

"'Mione. What's going on?" Harry asked while Ron told the other Gryffindors to mind their own business.

For a brief second or two, Hermione simply stared at the two in confusion.

"…nothing, just let me go, I need to stop by the library."

"The library?" Ron blinked, sharing another look with Harry before the two turned their attention back to Hermione, who appeared to be quite anxious to be heading off somewhere.

"Yes, Ron, I need to go to the library."

"Normally we would let you go but from the way you're behaving, I seriously doubt that you are going there for some light reading…" Harry explained.

"I am not going there just to borrow some new reading materials, Harry." Hermione gave him a pointed look.

_I am going there for Serenity._

"Fine," Harry relented, "Let's go."

Hermione was startled, expecting an argument to ensue but when she received nothing, she was suddenly bemused by the change of events.

"Are you coming, 'Mione?" Ron called out, a grin on his face when he received a startled exclamation followed by a scurrying of feet.

The Trio didn't receive any protests from their Housemates aside from curious glances, but as the three ignored them, was not stopped. Down the flights of stairs, the friends remained quiet, at least until they reached the fifth floor.

Passing by a window, a feeling of dread prickled on the back of all three students, the worse of all being felt by Harry. Wincing, Harry felt the sharp pain coarse through his scar but bore it through as he searched for the source of his pain.

"Harry?" Hermione and Ron shakily addressed their friend, noticing his pain.

"I'm fine; it's not as bad as…" Harry trailed off, knowing that if he said Voldemort's name they would immediately draw onto their own conclusions.

"So, it's not…" Ron audibly gulped, shifting his eyes every which way to make sure the Dark Lord would not be attacking anytime soon.

"No, it doesn't hurt as badly…"

Suddenly the two heard a gasp, signaling that something happened and they rushed off to the nearby window only to find Hermione frozen in shock, her attention focused on something in the near distance. Looking out, they stopped, stared, and stood there.

Nearby hovered a figure, a creature, swathed in black, bearing a severe impression of inexplicable dread even from the three's position inside the castle and on the fourth floor.

The humanoid creature was dark, bathed in an unnatural aura of darkness and had the trio feeling a combination of _fear_, _death_, and _evil_. Time seemed to pass by incredibly slow as the three watched the creature approach closer to the school and for the life of them, none of the three knew why they had yet to take any action in trying to stop _it_ from coming closer. However, as if a miracle occurred, the creature stopped beside a nearby tree and a few bushes located near the lake. For a few seconds it simply stood or hovered there, but just as soon as the creature arrived, it began to take a form of action. Unable to hear what the being spoke, the three continued to watch unable to tear their gazes away, and was shocked to find as the _thing_ floated a figure, a person, a _student_ and dangled it effortlessly in front of itself.

The creature glowed for a brief second, illuminated in great darkness, darker than it originally surrounded itself in if that was possible, and then approached the floating figure and seemed to touch its victim. As soon as it withdrew itself from the victim, they immediately noticed a change as the student no longer appeared to move but simply hanged in mid-air. The creature glowed again and this time drew even closer to its victim, giving the impression of embracing the student.

This time, they knew what was going to happen and wanted to withdraw away from the window but knew they couldn't, they have already seen too much.

A cold shiver traveled through their body, a feeling of inescapable fear developed in the pit of their stomachs as they watched the horrible event unfold. The creature held the victim in its arms and suddenly a wave of darkness enclosed the two figures, over their heads a mass of purple, black, and white curled and formed in a shape of a ball. The white color came from the student while the purple and black originated from the creature. The massive ball continued to collect the white aura from both entities until it stopped and the ball slammed itself down onto the creature. Time seemed to stop as the unknown entity stood still, before it recollected itself and moved again. The student fell lifelessly down on the grass while the creature moved towards the bushes, and to the three students' horror, the figure began the familiar pattern of repeating what it just did a few minutes ago.

They knew, almost as soon as they saw the dark figure arrive, that what they were witnessing were the attacks that enveloped the school and forest. That the creature they saw was the one who was implementing it. And the trio knew that, at this moment, they held no knowledge of how to stop it.

"…Merlin, please help us."

"Bloody hell…"

Harry tore his gaze from the window and addressed his two best friends, Hermione in particular. However, as he observed the bushy-haired witch, he was surprised to note that she simply stood there, incapable of movement. At his touch, she was startled from her reverie and nudged Ron to gain his attention.

"What do we do now; we can't possibly just stand here and do nothing!" Harry muttered.

"What can we do? Did you see that thing?!" Ron cried out.

"We have to see the Headmaster right away!" Hermione vehemently stated.

"What about the victims, we can't leave them! They might…they might…" Ron pointed out; beginning to pale as the recent events suddenly began to play themselves right before his eyes.

"But what if that monster is still out there?" Hermione whispered, her tone of voice underlying the fear that she currently felt.

What the three witnessed was something that none of them would want to experience, and not one of them wanted to encounter that creature if they could help it.

"S-Should we check on them?" Hermione voiced aloud and for a few seconds the three of them simply looked at one another before coming to a decision.

"One of us will get Madame Pomfrey and the other two will check on the victims. We can get the Headmaster, later," Harry stated as soon as the words left his mouth, the plan was set into motion.

"""""""""

"I am telling you, Albus, we simply must inform the authorities – the Ministry…"

"The Ministry will be of no help, they cannot…"

"Then what do you think we should…"

The voices between the Heads of Gryffindor and Slytherin have been escalating by each sentence for the past few minutes since Serenity announced the identity of the dark creature. To cut it short, the reaction from the two professors was not met with acceptance; instead, arguments have broken out and have not ceased since then.

This was twenty minutes ago and Serenity badly wanted to hex the two professors into oblivion; honestly, didn't they know how childish they were acting right now?

"Severus! Minerva!"

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore shouted over the din of voices, startling all the occupants in the room, including the portraits themselves. Within a few short seconds, any and all cacophony of noises ceased to be, silencing the whole room. And thankfully, the two professors stopped their argument as they bashfully yet grudgingly sat next to one another in their armchair.

(Selene those two could argue!) Serenity mused inside her head as she briefly stared at the red-tinged faces of the Transfiguration teacher and Potions Master.

"Arguing amongst ourselves will not solve our current dilemma."

"Headmaster, you cannot possibly be serious as to believe what _this_ student," Professor Snape sneered as he glanced at Serenity, "came across is an actually lich?"

"…the information provided by Ms. Moon and the signs left behind are simply too identical to dismiss," Dumbledore tiredly replied, knowing that anything the Potions Professor would say will simply be countered by the evidence provided within the scroll.

Shortly after the identity had been revealed, the two professors had made to grab the scroll, whilst arguing, and read about the lich. Yet, they still could not grasp the truth that there really was a lich roaming around.

"Albus…" Professor McGonagall began but stopped when a bright flare of light filtered behind the Headmaster. Immediately, Headmaster Dumbledore turned to address the fireplace and spoke to someone on the other end. Shortly afterwards, he turned around whilst shaking his head and addressed his guests.

"It would seem that another attack has occurred," Dumbledore informed them, earning a gasp from Professor McGonagall while Serenity and Professor Snape remained quiet, "And this time, there are witnesses."

"Who are they, Headmaster?" Serenity dared to voice out the question that had been running through her two professors' mind.

"They are our very own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley."

The small group wasted no time as they hastily made their way over to the Hospital Wing, thankfully uninterrupted by the curious students in the corridors.

Just as they reached the double arched door that led to the Hospital Wing, the door opened and admitted them inside. There, the school nurse greeted the Headmaster, quickly informing him about the conditions about the injured students who were thankfully alright but bore the same symptoms as the previous victims.

"Poppy, where are the witnesses?" the Headmaster inquired.

"Over here, Headmaster," replied a nervous looking Hermione Granger.

"Hermione, Ron, Harry – you're all okay!" Serenity breathed out a sigh of relief as she ran pass the Headmaster and began hugging her friends, receiving a blush from Ron and Harry. Despite the months that they have known one another, the silver-blonde haired teenager had yet to become overly affectionate than need be toward any one student, be it male or female.

"Serenity, w-what are you doing here?" Harry stuttered fighting down a blush – after all, it wasn't every day that he received a hug, much less from someone as attractive as Serenity Moon.

Hermione, always the perceptive one of the three, immediately widened her eyes as she looked between the Headmaster and Serenity.

"Serenity, do you know what's happening, do you know what or who is attacking the students and the creatures from the Forbidden Forest?"

Sharing a brief look at the Headmaster and receiving a nod of assent in reply, Serenity turned to regard the inquisitive Gryffindor before answering her question.

"Perhaps," Serenity replied, "If you will tell us what you three have witnessed."

Shortly afterward Hermione began to relay to the occupants in the room what she had witnessed with occasional inputs from Ron and Harry. In return, Serenity informed them of what she had deduced the creature to be, now with confirmation based on the accounts made from the three students.

"A lich?" Ron intoned, mouthed alongside by Harry whilst Hermione frowned, deep in thought.

"They have not been seen for several centuries and even back then, they have been rarely encountered." Serenity explained.

"But, what _exactly_ is a lich?" Hermione enunciated, wanting as much information as she can get.

"An undead creature," Serenity began, but stopped as she turned to address the Headmaster, "Headmaster, may I?"

"I believe they have a right to know," the Headmaster consented much to the disapproval that shone on Snape and McGonagall's faces.

"Very well then," Serenity nodded in agreement, all the while wondering if Draco Malfoy and Dennis Creevy should also be included into the conversation, but thought better of it. After all, it wasn't like she was their minders and they could always be informed at a later time, if they happened to ask any one of them.

"As I said before, a lich is an undead creature that was once a powerful wizard, sorcerer, or basically any type of spell caster. They have become so powerful and so deeply engrossed in their magic that they began to seek any means to defy death and thus converted themselves into an undead creature - a lich," Serenity explained, noticing how she managed to capture the attention of her audience.

"As an undead creature, the lich can never truly die. No matter how many times you destroy its body, no matter how many times you poison, stab, or even cast the Killing Curse on it, the lich will simply find another body or regenerate its previous one back to life," Serenity continued and watched the look of shock on all their faces.

"So, basically what you just gave us is a description of Voldemort himself," Harry whispered, recalling how Voldemort was quite similar to the lich. A wizard gone to the deepest level of Dark Magic as he sought immortality and when his body was destroyed, his soul had not and he had simply gained his body back.

"Very similar to him, though there are differences between himself and the lich." Serenity nodded in agreement, "You see, we're not entirely certain that Voldemort is a lich, as of yet. For all we know, he might not have chosen that path but something quite different."

(Voldemort chose a very different path, that's for sure; he absorbed a fragment of Chaos and basically became a demi-god in the process.) Serenity noted to herself but decided not to voice her thoughts aloud.

"So…if a lich can't even be killed by the Killing Curse or any other means, then you're basically saying that there's no chance in hell that we can get rid of it. We're screwed!" Ron cried out, not knowing that several of them wholeheartedly agreed with his statement.

"What are we going to do?!" Hermione began fretting about their current dilemma and began mumbling about going to the library after this ordeal is over.

"I told you, we should notify the Ministry about this!" Serenity heard Professor McGonagall begin another oncoming fight with the Potions Master.

"You're being foolish, the Ministry cannot do anything about a Creature as dark as this," Serenity overheard the Potions Master retaliate.

"The lich," Serenity began, after a few moments of listening and watching over each and every one of their reactions. She noted how Harry was the only occupant in the room that was completely unfazed by Serenity's words; even the Headmaster had gone into his own little world, quite possibly trying to remember the exact wording on the scroll that she delivered earlier.

"The lich may not be phased by something as disastrous as the Killing Curse; however, that does not mean that all hope is lost," Serenity continued, gaining all of the occupants' attention once again.

"What do you mean, Serenity? Is there a way to get rid of that lich?" Hermione inquired, finally shaking herself out of her stupor.

"A lich is not an easy creature to defeat, especially one as powerful as it currently is," Serenity nodded to Hermione's inquiry, "With each victim it encounters, it absorbs a bit of magic that they possess – at least that is what I believe. The only victims that the lich seems to encounter are magical ones such as the centaurs, unicorns, and Hogwarts students. Thankfully, it left the students alive each time but we cannot ignore the fact that the lich has taken a bit of their magic and their blood."

"So how do we stop it, Ms. Moon?" the Headmaster asked, any form of twinkle in his blue eyes that he once possessed had now completely disappeared.

Silently calling to Selene and her friends, she pleaded that they help her in the oncoming task that would soon befall them.

"We find the lich's phylactery," Serenity simply stated and watched as most of the occupants stared with dumbfounded expressions on their faces or covered their feelings with blank looks or indifference.

"A phylactery is an artifact that could be almost anything; it is a magical receptacle that the lich has used to store its soul into it, thus ensuring its 'immortality'." Serenity informed the group and watched as they grew from hopeful only to fall into utter despair at what her words would actually mean.

"At first, I thought this was something we could do…" Ron glumly began, "But if you think about it, this is almost impossible!"

"Don't give up hope, yet, Ron! I'm sure the library…" Hermione started before the two fell into an argument.

"At least it's something," Harry softly uttered, his emerald green eyes staring straight at Serenity who unknowingly flushed under his gaze, "Thank you for telling us."

Nodding, Serenity turned her attention back to the Headmaster, "If my guess is correct, Headmaster. That lich did not come here without a purpose."

Albus Dumbledore simply blinked in response and stared at her, wishing her to continue with her train of thought.

"After all, why would a lich hang around Hogwarts' grounds? Since the first attack, which occurred within the school, it only showed up from time to time and never dwelled longer than it had to. Why would it willingly do so when it could attack almost all the students where we are gathered together, or go to the Forbidden Forest and take all the magical creatures that dwell there? My guess is that this lich may be controlled by someone, someone far more powerful than it is."

"However, if the lich is being controlled, how would this person or creature go about doing that?" McGonagall dared to ask.

"How else, Minerva, but through the only item that it is weak against – the phylactery," Dumbledore answered, though with a pensive look on his aged face.

"And if my guess is correct, the one controlling the lich is none other than Voldemort himself," Harry grimaced, ignoring the shocked gasps from the occupants in the room.

"I think so, as well," Serenity nodded in agreement, "Which means that he has the item in his possession. The only thing that remains is how do we go around to retrieving said artifact?"

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes.

"I believe that you all have done enough for now, leave the rest to us. As your instructors, it is our duty to protect you and you have done far more than I can hope for. Now it is getting late, and I do believe that it is almost time for dinner. Shall we?" the Headmaster advised and stated, and without waiting, he headed for the entrance to the Hospital Wing and out the door followed by their Transfiguration and Potions professors.

"He's right, we have done all we can for now," Serenity humbly agreed after watching the two professors leave around the corner.

"That doesn't mean that we can just leave it at that. After all, the lich is still loose and who knows when it will show up again? How many times has it attacked, anyways? I doubt that that time at the Quidditch Match was the only time," Hermione stated and turned her attention back to Serenity.

"You're right, it wasn't…" Serenity said and began telling them about the attacks beforehand, leaving out any information that had anything to do with Draco Malfoy – that was something that these three could do without.

And shortly after their conversations, the four students formed a tighter bond as their relationship grew ever closer.

To be continued….

"""""""""""""""""""

I decided to end the chapter here since this was getting pretty lengthy. I hope that you all enjoyed it. As for the lich and the information that comes with it – well, that came from two sources: Wikipedia and The Hypertext d20 SRD. Remember that there may be differences about how an actual lich behaves in my story! I'm not exactly an expert in the lich department; all I did was use a bit of the powers that it may actually possess.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Needed

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

Just a few short notices that I need to sort out. I noticed that I made a mistake a few chapters back about when Remedial DADA takes place. Serenity's DADA remedial courses take place on Wednesdays after dinner and Saturdays after Charms.

Modified: August 6, 2008

""""""""""""

Since that dark Friday, November 13th, Serenity's friendship with the Golden Trio was closer than ever, more than she could hope for. Her days were now spent in the company of the Golden Trio, her libraries spent with Hermione and, on occasion, Harry and Ron. When she found herself in the Great Hall, a seat would always be made available close to the three Gryffindors. And when she found herself in the Common Room, Serenity didn't find herself without at least one of the three Gryffindors. Although she found all of this heartwarming, Serenity knew that she still favored those small times when she had time to herself.

As such, Serenity Moon found herself wandering the castle corridors. Her thoughts swirling inside her head, she reflected on what she had accomplished thus far and her next plan of action. Since the dark event of the discovery of the lich, not much has progressed with the exception of the Headmaster, who assured the four Gryffindors that he had already made plans regarding the phylactery. This was met with high spirits from Ron and a bit more subdued acceptance from Hermione, but for Harry and Serenity, the Headmaster's words only created wariness followed by doubt. Harry, who had lost his Godfather and found that the old wizard had kept important information from him, could only trust his words by a minimum, and Serenity who hardly knows the man, could rely on the wizard by a small margin. Accordingly, Serenity had taken this news by wary acceptance and attempted to move her concerns over her other worries – like her schoolwork, training, and Voldemort.

In her past life, she would have had either Ami or Rei or, basically, any of her protectors do the research – _Selene_ knows that she would not be caught doing work. Consequently, when she came to Hogwarts there was no other alternative but to do a great deal of research and a lot of practice. Of course, Artemis would sometimes come by the library and help, but never more than a few hours – he was a professor, after all. Research had never been her strong suit, but she was positive that with the rate she was going in regards to combing Hogwarts library, she would be an expert in that department.

Grinning, Serenity began to head for the Great Hall. It would start in twenty minutes and she wanted to make sure that she had a great spot. And in that regard, she wanted to ensure that she had a position in the table that had access to a great number of food varieties, especially dessert.

(I wonder if they're serving cake tonight…)

""""""""""""

Nearby, gray eyes had been watching ever since Transfiguration class had let out. Draco Malfoy had been observing the little Gryffindor, given that she had the audacity to walk out on him in the library. With time, he had initiated a plan that he had created by himself with the occasional aide from his closest confidants. The plan was simple, yet effective and given time he would see this come into fruition – the rewards would be immeasurable.

And as he watched the little cub come a bit closer to his hiding space, he made the ultimate decision. Today would be the beginning of his plan and he would be victorious.

In the end, what Draco Malfoy wants, Draco Malfoy gets.

"""""""""""

THUMP

Serenity had been smiling to herself as her train of thought drifted in favor of the desserts that would be littered the Great Hall. But now she found herself pressed against the stone wall, in what she perceived to be a thankfully empty classroom, trapped between strong, pale arms.

And as she observed that flawless skin, those gray eyes, and white blonde hair, she knew who had accosted her and who, now, held her under his mercy. Of course, as a Gryffindor, she would never reveal just how intimidated she was. She had hoped that after a few days of having the Slytherin leave her alone that he had finally moved on to some other victim.

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case.

"Malfoy…" Serenity growled out, secretly applauding herself for not hearing a single squeak come out of her voice. She was afraid that her nervousness would show, and was glad that it did not. Selene knows how Draco Malfoy seemed to get overjoyed at any emotion that shined in her eyes, and would not reveal an ounce of fear or nervousness to the Slytherin prince, aside from anger, disgust, and frustration.

"Moon," Malfoy smirked and just before Serenity could ask as to what his purpose for placing the two of them in this classroom, she was caught in surprise.

Warm lips crashed over hers, invading her senses, making her lose her train of thought. Continuously, unendingly those lips and those sensations were all that she could think about.

Yet, thankfully her wits managed to kick in just before anything more could result from the exchange as Serenity reigned in her emotions.

(This is not supposed to happen.) Serenity stated, opening her eyes, and with all the strength she could muster made to push the white-blonde haired Slytherin off of her, but the 6th year simply grabbed her arms and firmly held her in place.

Although, the Slytherin pulled away, his gray eyes stared at her in a way that sent shivers down her spine, making her want to cower and shrink away. But she held true to her Gryffindor side and glared right at him. Unfortunately, her resistance was not enough for the Slytherin as he simply smirked in return. His luscious lips that any man or woman would die for stretched just a bit and in such a fashion that would surely make heaven smile and hell rejoice.

"Malfoy, just leave me be!" Serenity hissed.

The Slytherin only seemed to smile even more and licked his lips, and at the sight of his protruding tongue she couldn't help but repress another shudder, sending Malfoy to draw even closer and turn his smile into a smirk.

"I don't think so, little cub," Malfoy huskily whispered and before Serenity made an attempt to turn her head away, he managed to outmaneuver her as he captured her lips once more.

And it was like molten lava met with an explosion of colors. There was nothing to ground her from the experience and so, she flew. There was no up or down, no direction or map to show her the way. She simply let the sensation overflow and embrace her like no other.

It was within that indescribable sensation that she fell, fell so deeply into the taint that her predator held her under. Any attempts that she earlier enacted had fallen into enthusiastic replies, any muffled sounds of protests soon turned into pleas and moans of pleasure, everything that she knew vanished and only the feelings were left.

"""""""""""""

Draco inwardly smirked as he invaded the Gryffindor's mouth. Her lithe figure pressed up against him, her will breaking and any feelings of doubt or regret had long since vanished since the second kiss. He now knew that he firmly held the Gryffindor into his grasp to do as he pleased.

(Soon, soon I will have you begging for me.) Draco smugly stated as he pressed Serenity's form up against the wall harder, deepening the kiss.

He felt Serenity's arms that he had long since been released entwine themselves over to the back of his neck, and he couldn't help but inwardly smirk for the umpteenth time. And as he felt her pull him into a closer proximity, he knew that this had to end. It wouldn't do to ruin his plan so early in the game.

Softly, laboriously, seductively Draco Malfoy released Serenity from his arms and watched as she dazedly blinked at him, still incomprehensible to her current situation.

All the while, he licked his lips and remembered the feel of her skin, her lips, and the taste of strawberries and chocolate. He would remember… until their next encounter.

"Thanks for the treat," Draco smirked while fixing his state of attire. It would not be acceptable for a Slytherin to be seen in anything short of perfection, after all.

Taking one last look at the Gryffindor, Draco left the classroom, shutting the door firmly behind him and walked out.

"""""""""""

That evening, Serenity had placed a faux smile on her face from the time she left the classroom all the way to her seat in the middle of the Gryffindor table, right beside Harry much to her chagrin. For right in front of her in the other side of the Great Hall sat Draco Malfoy, and it took all of her willpower not to scream at the Slytherin for assaulting her in the empty classroom. So much effort was placed into her not to stride all the way to the Slytherin table and smack that Malfoy smirk off of his face. He sat there, amongst his comrades, as if nothing had even occurred between the two of them! Not once since her arrival did he spare one glance at her!

(That, that….slimy, disgusting, fiendish Slytherin!) Serenity inwardly scowled as she cast another fierce glare toward the Slytherin before grabbing her book bag and leaving the Gryffindor table, intending to head straight for her DADA remedial lesson. She was certainly in a foul mood today and nothing short of a miracle would make her feel better.

(Just when I believe that he would leave me alone, he comes out of nowhere and…) Serenity paused as she recalled the incident (and _kisses_ me.)

Serenity paused again, lost in thought before shaking the scene away, making an effort to restrain her feelings. She was confused between wanting to smile and a desire to want to vent out her frustrations. Conclusively, she settled for coming to the Remedial DADA, hoping that Flamel would help her expel all of these thoughts and feelings.

As soon as Serenity threw open the door and stepped inside, a wispy and unidentifiable orb shot straight at her from the side, and she instinctively jumped to the side and onto the ground where another similar sphere came. For a few seconds she spent the time dodging and trying to counter the unknown spell with ones that she had picked up from the Defense professor, alongside ones that Harry and she had spent in the library to research and execute. Unfortunately, none of the spells that Serenity had managed to send to the unknown force worked. For quite a while the seconds drew to minutes as Serenity resigned herself to simply dodge and duck the spells, trying to figure out where it was being cast. That is, until the door opened and Harry stepped inside. Similar to her encounter, Harry too was subjected to the unknown wispy and unidentifiable sphere and she briefly caught the scene where he reflexively dodged and ducked onto the ground.

"What do you think?" Serenity uttered before ducking to the side and the raven-haired teenager copied the movement.

"Combined spell movement?" Harry suggested, earning a smile of approval from his comrade.

Together, the two Gryffindors clasped hands and made to rise, barely missing the next onslaught of spells, but neither one made a move to let their hands go. With a small murmur both mirrored one another as they both shadowed each other in their wand movements. Another spell was hurled at them and then another, but neither one made a move to move as they faced it, their backs now to one another. As one, they raised their wand up into the air, and shouted the last word that came from their mouth.

"_Finis_."

A wispy and unidentifiable barrier abruptly sprang up just as the two spheres hurled themselves at it, and the barrier worked. The orbs slammed into the wall only to flicker for a second or two before reflecting back.

The two Gryffindors knew that if they cast the spell correctly, the spheres would reflect back to its caster. Surely enough, the unidentifiable assailants sailed away from the two and a few seconds later they heard the soft padding of what could only be discernable as footsteps.

"Took you two long enough; I am not amused."

Turning to the where they heard the voice, the two students faced their Professor and couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed at their performance. Since the beginning of their training session, the two had noticeably improved their skills to a new level. Their wand performance, wit, and quick footwork vastly progressed under the tutelage of Perrier Flamel. And only a month or so had passed since their first lesson. The two could only anticipate at what else their skilled professor could teach them, given the time that they had left until the Final Battle.

"But at least we figured it out," Serenity weakly pointed out, only to earn a glare in return.

"Do you think that your enemies will give you enough time to think a way out of that situation? You were lucky enough that your partner came, and the two of you managed to come up with that spell," Professor Flamel scolded, making his two students wince.

"Enough," Professor Flamel sighed and flicked his wand toward the door then turned to the windows, the two students knowing that he was warding it from any possible trespassers, and silencing it due to what would surely come next.

"We shall go over your spells before moving to the next lesson," Professor Flamel continued and took the moment to study the two of them, "Saturday, prepare yourselves. That will be your only warning."

Before the two could react, Professor Flamel cast another unknown spell at them, this time it appeared fiercer than the first one. Steeling themselves, the two Gryffindors quickly reacted and met the spell dead-on.

They would prove their strength to their professor and to themselves.

""""""""""

A gasp erupted from Serenity's mouth, her heart pounding and her vision filled with memories of the past. Her friends, her lover, and her enemies were all she could recall, and she knew they were not pleasant. She hadn't had such dreams for quite awhile, and for it to show up now…

(They don't blame you, you know they would not.) Serenity reminded herself, her hand instinctively seeking her wand and finding it. Clutching the item close to her heart, she slowly recalled all the warmth and support that her friends and her past love gave her, and, with time, it gave her enough strength to leave the comfort of her bed.

"_Tempus_," Serenity whispered and the spell alerted her as to the time – 3:30am.

Sighing, Serenity prepared for the day and by 5:00am she found herself leaning against one of the embrasures of the Astronomy Tower, peeking between the spaces, to blankly stare at nothing and everything.

Before long, Serenity felt the peaceful scenery begin to lull her to sleep. Slowly, Serenity gradually found her eyelids begin to close as she drifted into slumber. And behind her came a familiar Slytherin who simply stared at the girl before he silently approached her. Wordlessly, he shrugged off his cloak in the cool, early morning air and draped it across the leaning Gryffindor. Afterwards, he maneuvered the young woman until she was in his arms. Making sure that she was not disturbed by all the movements, Draco Malfoy carefully arranged the two of them comfortably on the ground, letting Serenity to lean against him.

With a small smile, Draco Malfoy watched the young woman until the Slytherin too fell into a light slumber.

"""""""""

"T-_Tempus_" Serenity blearily yawned and watched through bleary eyes as the spell showed her that it was 6:00am. It would seem that she had slept for almost an hour since her arrival in the Astronomy Tower. Feeling unnatural warmth from whatever she was lying against, she couldn't help but snuggle closer and heard a strange sound.

(That's strange; it's almost as if it's the beating of a…human heart.) Serenity mused (But that cannot be, a wall wouldn't…).

Her musing was interrupted when she felt a shift and arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her, bringing her closer to what she first believed to be the wall.

(What?) Serenity was baffled and finally decided to look up.

Her source of warmth was none other than Draco Malfoy. She felt her mouth drop open, much to the amusement of Malfoy. With a familiar smirk, he raised his hand to trail along the side of her jaw, and lifted it up, firmly shutting her mouth in place.

"You could put that mouth to better use, little cub."

"Malfoy…" Serenity felt her blood run cold and proceeded in making an attempt to get away. She definitely did not want to see him this early in the morning.

As she reached the door, she felt herself stop for an inexplicable reason and then found herself looking back. Now leaning against the crenellation of the Astronomy Tower is the Slytherin Prince, his gray eyes simply staring after her.

Wondering what he was looking at, she stared at herself and saw the familiar cloak from the first time they officially met one another. With a small blush Serenity walked the distance back to Draco and took it off, offering the cloak back to him.

"Thank…you," Serenity murmured and Malfoy smirked in reply.

Taking the cloak, the Slytherin straightened his posture and slid alongside the Gryffindor, taking her arm as he led the way back to the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Wouldn't want you to get lost, now would we?" Malfoy murmured close to her ear before withdrawing.

"And we wouldn't want the Slytherin Prince to be missing from his table," Serenity murmured in reply before making her way to the Great Hall and slipping inside.

From behind, Draco Malfoy smirked in approval, amused by how the morning began.

""""""""""

The events following since the confusing encounter with the Slytherin Prince have never wavered. There were days when Serenity would encounter the teenager in an empty corridor and he would do nothing more than glance her way; there were times when Serenity would unpredictably get pulled into an empty classroom only to get snogged senseless; and, of course, there were those few but meaningful early mornings when Draco Malfoy would appear from behind her and offer nothing more than a warm presence and a cloak. It was safe to say that Serenity was a very confused Gryffindor and it frustrated her to no end. And to suggest that she confronts the Slytherin was even more infuriating because she had done so, more than once. However, an answer was not as forthcoming as she wanted to believe.

Eventually, after weeks of these encounters Serenity slowly began to crumble and, in turn, the encounters unsurprisingly rose to the point that there wasn't a day with at least one meeting with the Slytherin. Sometimes, when Serenity was left with her wits about her, she would ask the same question to Draco Malfoy.

"What are we Malfoy?" Serenity breathlessly asked at one point, staring after the smirking Slytherin.

The smirk slowly transformed into the faux façade that he normally wore, indifferent to the pain that unknowingly clutched her heart.

"It's just a kiss," Malfoy restated, quirking his delicate eyebrow upward, "Don't think that there is anything more than that."

His reply given, the Malfoy walked out of the classroom, shutting the door firmly shut behind him. And at the sound of the interminable click, a feeling of loss crept in her heart.

""""""""""

"Are you staying over the holiday?" Serenity heard whispered in her ear, shooting a glance from the corner of her eye she saw a smiling Harry Potter.

"Yes, are you?"

At his nod, Serenity smiled up at the Boy-Who-Lived, feeling a sense of warmth in her heart. After all the weeks of training and spending time together, they've developed a stronger, unspoken bond between them. One that Serenity couldn't completely understand. And it annoyed her just as much as it did when she thought about Malfoy.

"What about Hermione and the others?" Serenity inquired.

Harry walked with her toward the bulletin board in the Common Room and jotted his name, followed by Serenity. Quickly scanning the list of those who would be staying for the Winter Holidays, she noticed that Hermione's name was not on the parchment.

"Hermione is going overseas with her parents, she's afraid that she isn't spending as much time with them. Ron and Ginny are staying here." Harry explained.

Looking over the list again, Serenity noted how Neville's name escaped her notice along with Dean and Seamus.

"Neville is going to his Gran's place until Boxing Day. Dean and Seamus are leaving, too." Harry stated, noticing how Serenity was still looking over the list.

(I wonder if Dra-Malfoy is leaving for the holidays…) Serenity wondered, slightly cringing at the thought that she almost used the Slytherin's given name.

By the time breakfast came around that early Monday, December 7, Serenity noticed Draco Malfoy strutting inside the Great Hall flanked by Goyle and Crabbe, Zabini slightly at his right and Parkinson to his left. All of them were speaking animatedly to the Slytherin Prince, even when they sat down.

"I can't believe that you're actually _willing_ to _stay_ here, Dray," Pansy drawled, her hands firmly clutched around Draco's arms.

"Mother _insisted_ that I come home, but I couldn't possibly do that…" Draco replied, a smirk firmly on his face, "After all, there are so many other things that I could do, even in this dreadful school."

At his words, Malfoy appeared to be casually looking across the room before his gray eyes fell on Serenity. As she held his gaze the Gryffindor noticed the intensity of his eyes, making her repress a shiver.

"I cannot fathom what would drive you to stay in this…this place!" Pansy sneered, tossing her hair to the side and her nose pointed upward.

"Don't worry about it, Pans," Zabini casually stated, "I'll be here to keep him company."

If the dark Slytherin's words served as any form of comfort, it surely did not work for Parkinson. She glared hard at the Slytherin before completely ignoring him, and continued to press Draco to change his mind.

Across from the Great Hall, Serenity continued to watch albeit not as strongly as she had a few seconds ago. Inside her mind, only a few words were left lingering.

(He's staying…)

A twitch clasped her heart, sending Serenity to dig into the palm of her hand as she continued her façade. She knew she couldn't continue like this – pretending that everything was fine, pretending that nothing was unordinary in her life, when in fact that the complete opposite has been happening.

(And it all started with a _kiss_.) Serenity internally sneered.

After the first few encounters, she had been willing to go to her Head of House or even Flamel but every single time she stepped out of the Common Room and headed for either Professor, a sudden fear clutched her heart. It was foolish and naïve but she was afraid; a part of her was scared of the consequences that would befall upon herself and Draco Malfoy. She didn't want to be in trouble because she had been out of her dormitory after curfew, and she didn't want Malfoy to receive any form of punishment because he had been kissing her.

(Really now, a kiss…) Serenity reflected and unconsciously stopped eating, her mind now wandering to all those intimacies that they've shared.

"Serenity, come on we have Herbology with the Hufflepuffs," she faintly heard and mechanically rose to stand up.

"You're out of it; did you get enough sleep last night?" Hermione asked, noticing how her eyes appeared out of focus and dazed.

"Hmm…" Serenity blinked away the images and flushed in embarrassment, "I'm fine. Just thinking about…"

She trailed off, unsure of how to respond, but at the sight of Hermione's guilty expression she wondered if her words were correct after all.

"Oh," Hermione softly murmured, "I'm…sorry, Serenity. I can't believe how completely stupid I could be. Of course, you would be…foolish of me…"

Serenity was really confused at this point as the Gryffindor continued to babble about how inconsiderate she was, and how she couldn't recall Serenity's predicament until the idea finally seeped into her mind.

(Of course! The Holidays… my family… my friends…) Serenity recalled and felt a pang of guilt. This would be the first Christmas she would spend away from both family and friends.

"It's alright, Hermione; I'm fine now," Serenity forced a smile onto her face.

"Yeah, we'll be here with Serenity!" Ron offered his share of comfort.

"Definitely," Serenity heard from the Boy-Who-Lived, feeling a warm hand swing around and settle over her shoulders, bringing her close. And she found that she didn't mind it that much.

In fact, she smiled. Her first true smile since breakfast, and for once she didn't think of Malfoy, or the lich, or the fragment of Chaos. Because she knew she wouldn't be alone on Christmas, but would be spending it with those dear to her – her friends.

Even though Malfoy would surely encounter her sometime that day, she wouldn't mind because somehow she felt something in the deep recesses of her heart and mind. It was something that had blossomed and it was similar, though not quite the same, to what she currently felt for Harry.

Not wanting to dwell too much on the feelings, she ignored it. The answer would come to her in time, but for now she would enjoy these emotions of comfort and happiness.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""

Not very active, but things are progressing well – for Draco Malfoy, anyway.

Reincarnations of any other senshi, guardians, or lovers will not occur. Artemis is about as far as I am willing to go and I intend to keep it that way.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Needed

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners.

I wanted to get the plotline running and so this one should prove to be interesting.

Someone asked about transforming into Sailor Moon and about the crystal. First of all, I don't think Serenity will be transforming, because it's a whole different world and there are some advantages of being a witch than Sailor Moon. As for the crystal, she still has it and carries it with her – it's the core of her wand. The crystal transformed into a wand when she wished for a wand: more details can be found in Chapter 1.

Modified: September 14, 2008.

""""""""

Several attacks had occurred since November 13th. One of which had been devastating, almost to the point where Madame Pomfrey would have announced that a death had transpired, and the school would inevitably close. Thankfully, that it had not, all thanks to a certain white-blond haired Slytherin.

This incident occurred late Thursday night. The lich had, once again, managed to get inside the castle, despite all the wards that the Professors had placed, making it stronger than ever. While inside, the Dark Creature had captured a number of students of varying ages. They were students who happened to make an attempt of sneaking into Hogwarts' Library after hours, because of as assignment for Potions. It was their longest project yet, and none of the students wanted to do it over the Winter Holidays. Their plan had been carefully laid out; they managed to sneak out of the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor Common Room with no problem and agreed to meet underneath a landscape painting on the Fourth Floor, not far from the library. Unfortunately, as they were making their way to the Library, the lich had come across the group of 10 students, instilled fear on them, and continued the process of taking a portion of their magic before dropping them carelessly on the ground.

Serenity had found them briefly after her encounter with Malfoy and was at a loss with what to do; there were too many students to levitate. Shockingly enough, Malfoy arrived shortly after the distraught Gryffindor and worked out the problem with her. After all, he was still a Prefect, he may not be a wonderful one and tended to ignore most students who asked for his help, but even in a situation as disastrous as the attack of ten students, even he couldn't turn a blind eye. It only led him to remember the muggles who had wandered into their estate, and died.

Therefore, much to the shock of Serenity Moon, Draco Malfoy offered to stay with the victims whilst Serenity ran to Madame Pomfrey. Soon after, the medi-witch arrived and, with the aid of Malfoy and Moon, proceeded to gather the students varying on the degree of their wounds towards the Hospital Wing.

But that was not where the problems ended. A few of the students had, by then, suffered greatly due to blood loss. Despite the multiple tries of cauterizing the wounds, the blood continued to seep through and by the time Madame Pomfrey managed to figure out the reason – the potions she had for them could only be supplied to half of the students.

When prodded about having Professor Snape to create the potion, the two students were informed that Professor Snape was not available and would not arrive until breakfast. The implied notion that was not missed to the two students was that by the time breakfast arrived, half of Madame Pomfrey's patients would surely be dead. A few seconds merely passed before Malfoy spoke up, proclaiming that he has the needed potion in his room and quickly left the Hospital Wing only to return a short while later, bearing the number of potions that would be needed to help the patients. Madame Pomfrey didn't question the student and Malfoy did not offer a reason.

That was the story of how a Slytherin had managed to save five lives that single Thursday night. And it was also in that night that a blizzard hit Hogwarts and by early Friday morning, the field outside was covered in nothing but iridescent snow, unblemished, cold yet beautiful.

It was also that early Friday morning that Serenity sincerely felt that maybe, just maybe Draco Malfoy was not as horrible as she was led to believe.

""""""""""

That eventful night occurred two days ago, but the attack from yesterday was thankfully not as serious. More and more students have had the misfortune of seeing a few of their classmates littered in the hallways or outside. Thus, less and less students have been willing to venture out on the grounds, and even the hallways. When Care of Magical Creatures came about, students stuck close together in groups, despite their knowledge that even that wouldn't save them from the monster that was terrorizing their school. There has already been written complaints from frantic parents, and it had already been scheduled that if the problem will not be resolved in the near future, they would be taking the students out and transferring them into another Magical institution.

It was evident by the recent actions made by several students and parental units that time was running out. If the matter with the lich will not be resolved, Hogwarts will surely close down for good. And that was not an option that several certain students were willing to take.

"Ms. Moon, if you will come with me," Professor McGonagall's stern voice came from behind the dazed Gryffindor.

"Professor," Serenity greeted, shaking the sleep from her eyes as she rose to stand.

The Professor nodded after a speculative glance before turning away, expecting the Gryffindor to follow.

"I'll see you guys later," Serenity hastily said, while picking up her book bag and hurrying after her Head of House.

Her friends simply took one look at the retreating Gryffindor before shrugging their shoulders, continuing with breakfast.

"Ms. Moon, I believe it is time to discuss about your progress in your academics and the path you will take after you graduate from Hogwarts."

Serenity sat, stunned. It had been quite some time since she had spoken in this fashion with the stern Transfiguration teacher. Of course, there were rare moments in which she visited the professor but neither one actually discussed about her future career or how her Remedial Lessons were doing. It was simply for pleasantries and advises in how to approach certain subjects. The same held true for her other Professors, the ones that she had gradually grown closer to in the previous summer, and hopefully, in the following summer as well.

Now sitting here, across from her Head of House, she was flabbergasted. She hadn't thought of picking a career since the previous summer, and even then, never dwelled too much in it.

"Professor, I…" Serenity stuttered, at a loss for words, "I don't know what my career choice is."

Said Professor simply raised an elegant eyebrow in response before bringing her right hand on top of a small stack of pamphlets and pushed them forward. Looking down at the papers, Serenity noticed they were leaflets about different careers in the Wizarding World.

"Then I suggest you start looking at them. You will not always be in Hogwarts, Ms. Moon and in a little under two years, you will be graduating amongst your peers," Professor McGonagall lectured, "Now, enough about that. I have received notice from your Professors about your Remedial Lessons."

At her words, Serenity couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in her chair. In truth, she knew that she wasn't faring at her best but she was sure that her performance was not wholly unsatisfactory.

Noticing her student's attitude, Professor McGonagall allowed herself a small smile of assurance and sure enough, Serenity visibly relaxed.

"Your Professors have informed me that you are doing well in their classes, and, as such, you will be allowed to drop several of your Remedial classes. If you choose to continue with some of them, please inform me. That time frame will be used to further your studies and enhance your academic knowledge and performance to the best of our abilities," Professor McGonagall informed the Gryffindor.

"Professor, isn't that…unfair?" Serenity hesitantly inquired, "I appreciate the opportunity to further my education, but…"

"There's nothing to be concerned about, Ms. Moon," Professor McGonagall interrupted the girl, fearing that if she allowed the young Gryffindor to continue, she'd continue to talk throughout the whole morning.

"Nothing…?" Serenity blinked, bemused by the turn of events.

"Correct," Professor McGonagall re-affirmed, "Although your grades are satisfactory and you have managed to catch up to your peers, your knowledge is only sufficient enough to get by. If you choose to, your Professors will continue to teach you what they have been teaching the lower-years for the past six years. All that is left now is to brush up on lessons that are not as… imperative for this year's lessons."

Serenity sat still, absorbing the information that her Head of House had given her and wondered if she should remain in her Remedial Classes.

"Professor, I believe I shall only resume the lessons with Professor Flamel," Serenity firmly decided, looking at the Transfiguration teacher in the eye, resolute in her decision.

The stern woman simply nodded in acceptance and took out a blank piece of parchment. With a wave and flick, a small murmur of words, a schedule was firmly held in place and she presented it to her student.

"It's not that I don't want to continue my other lessons," Serenity obligingly took the offered parchment, "But I believe that I need to concentrate on my Defense at this point. That and I can always continue the other sessions over the summer."

"I understand," Professor McGonagall nodded in agreement before rising from her seat, Serenity followed suit.

"Thank you, Professor."

"Don't forget to look through those pamphlets," Professor McGonagall merely advised before shooing the young woman out the door.

(Didn't Albus mention that Harry was taking private lessons with Professor Flamel?) Professor McGonagall mused as she locked her office door behind her.

As the thought struck her, a small smile appeared on her normally stoic face at the revelation. There was more to the reasoning than her young Gryffindor student was willing to admit.

"""""""""""

Blood-red with flecks of dark orange was all the young woman could make out before diving to the side, tucking her legs in the process. The new and foreign spell had been fashioned by the Defense Professor; when struck by the spell it would momentarily send a pain charm before releasing you. The magic bordered on being illegal, but since it did not, the Professor took it upon himself in creating the spell for his two students.

Thus, Serenity Moon and Harry Potter found themselves dodging the spell while trying to figure out a way to stop their Professor from directing it their way. It seemed that once the spell was created and found a target; it would do all it can to find you.

"Serenity, duck!" Harry shouted before pushing his friend to the ground just in time before the familiar spell passed overhead, missing the two by mere inches.

"Sorry, Harry," Serenity breathed, offering a smile up at the raven-haired man.

"Just be careful," Harry lightly blushed before pulling themselves up, making sure that the spell wouldn't come by any time soon.

"Harry," Serenity began, catching the familiar spell from the corner of her right eye, "Do you think we should try…"

"Wandless?" Harry interrupted, seeing the female tense beside him.

"Maybe; you tried that field of magic before but it didn't phase the spell at all."

"Well we only started it today," Harry pointed out, now seeing the spell visibly in their line of vision and it didn't appear to be changing direction any time soon, "Let's do it together, it worked last Tuesday."

"But we didn't do it wandless," Serenity stressed out, biting the bottom of her lip. Neither of them was allowed to use a wand today after Professor Flamel drilled them in wandless magic.

"Trust me," Harry whispered in her ear before pulling her a few paces back, gathering a bit more distance from the semi-powerful curse.

"Fine," Serenity mumbled, her eyes still trained on the spell before bringing her hands freely in front of her.

Together, the two cast a shield spell in front of them. It would only stop the curse from hitting them for a few seconds, and hopefully it would be enough for the two to finish the incantation.

Stepping close together, the two Gryffindors worked in unison. Their incantation, their hands moving simultaneously to the intonation of their words, and while doing so an aura appeared to life, surrounding the two in a mist of gray and white.

"_Ibi concordia, ibi vitam,_

_Dum spiramus tuebimur,_

_Viva voce._"

Hands and voices combined and their aura only became more intense by each intonation, by each syllable, and as the spell drew closer, both hands rose in the air.

"_Inflamare Maxima_."

Large bursts of flame erupted from both pair of hands, joining together as one before racing down the room to meet with the blood-red and orange curse. Upon meeting, a great eruption took place, toppling the two students to the ground, both mesmerized by the power the two spells created. Smoke, shattered glass and a damaged wall was left in their wake and once the smoke cleared, the ground was nothing more than a gaping hole that led to a thankfully empty classroom.

"Impressive how both of you managed to defeat my curse," their Professor praised the two, "If only you two were not so hesitant in joining your powers."

Both students hurriedly stood on their feet, flushing from their praise but all the same feeling ashamed that they had been so hesitant in the first place.

"With practice, you two will grow in power and strength. Before long, maybe you won't need to take so long in casting…" said Professor Flamel, before turning around and fixing the damage their joint powers created.

Afterwards, he took the moment to study the now exhausted figures of Serenity Moon and Harry Potter, "And you two won't be so tired. Sit down and recuperate, while doing so, reflect on your next course of action and how you can improve your magical abilities."

Smiling to themselves, Serenity and Harry sat down, taking the chance to reflect and speak with each other on how to strengthen their powers without being so magically exhausted. In the back, Flamel looked on a small smile on his face.

(You are finally moving on with your life…)

"""""""""""""

"Serenity," Serenity paused and turned around, smiling at the occupant of that voice, who else would she smile to so favorably if not for Harry Potter?

Their relationship from all the way back in Transfiguration had been the cornerstone to their inevitable friendship, the events that followed only added to it.

"Harry, weren't you going to go with Ron and the others for Quidditch practice?"

The raven-haired young man flushed in response but didn't move from his spot. Instead, he moved closer and swept back his hair, more in nervousness than anything else.

"No, it got canceled because Hermione insisted that they do their homework. Especially since Snape's assignment is even longer than he normally gives," Harry explained and shrugged, "You know how Hermione is…"

"I thought Ron wasn't taking Potions this year," Serenity blinked, a bit confused.

"He's not, but he has more homework than all the others put together," Harry smirked, recalling the positively red-faced Hermione yelling at Ron when she found out.

Serenity chuckled in response and was soon followed by Harry, the two stood there laughing away in the empty corridor. It was in these small moments that she truly enjoyed being with Harry, it almost made her feel normal, as if they had all the time in the world. There were no Dark Lords, no immortal beings or undead creatures; these rare times only consisted of the two of them, being two normal teenagers.

"So what can I help you with, Mr. Potter," Serenity grinned while walking up to the young man.

Grinning, Harry walked the rest of the distance and laced his hands with hers before pulling her towards the staircase that would lead them downstairs.

"Would you care for a walk around the grounds, Ms. Moon?"

"What would they say, there are dark creatures out there," Serenity smirked, her eyes glinting with undeniable mischief in her eyes.

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather face a dark creature any day than the wrath of a Miss Hermione Granger," Harry laughed and found that Serenity had joined him.

"If you put it that way, let's get out of here and fast!"

Laughing, the two hurriedly left the castle and ran outside, the first laughter to enter the Hogwarts Grounds since the first snow fall.

"""""""""""""""

"My Lord," a dark robed figure knelt down, his face nearly touching the cold ground.

For several minutes, the dark robed figure received no answer, but this was normal to the Death Eater. All the old recruits and some of the new ones knew that the Dark Lord was quite perverse when it came to finding some way to catch his Death Eaters off-guard, simply so he can punish them with a well-placed Dark Curse.

"Speak," the Death Eater heard his master hiss, feeling a small shudder enter his soul.

"Everything is going according to your plan. In a few days, we may begin," the Death Eater reported, repressing a shudder when he heard the familiar hiss that most assuredly came from his master's favored pet, Nagini.

"Pray that you do not disappoint me, Lucius," Voldemort rose from his seat on the dais and strode down, stopping several inches from the robed man, "I want everything perfect when _she_ arrives."

"Yes, my Lord" Lucius replied, knowing that no other words would appease his master.

"Rise," Voldemort smirked, allowing his favored Death Eater to get up on his feet.

When Lucius Malfoy did rise, he resisted the urge to gasp at the sight that greeted him. No longer was the Dark Lord Voldemort the vile creature that they had seen earlier that year and the years previous. Instead, what stood before the Malfoy patriarch was a tall, handsome man in his early 20s, with jet black hair, distinguished and with a radiating aura that drew you to obey his words, and the only discerning portion of this young man that led him to believe that he was his master was the blood-red eyes that stared right at him.

"Go; make the necessary plans. I want our guest to arrive on Winter Solstice," Voldemort smirked and watched as Lucius bowed once before leaving his master's presence.

"On the night of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year, we shall meet again," Lord Voldemort hissed.

"""""""

Serenity visibly sighed, the pamphlets that Professor McGonagall had given her were informative but not one of them caught her interest. Being a Healer, Medi-witch, Auror, or working in the Ministry had their benefits and share of excitement but Serenity just knew that not a single one of those fields were meant for her. Her friends, family, and guardians would digress; after all, wouldn't the ex-future Queen of Crystal Tokyo be wonderful in the Minstry; wouldn't the ex-senshi, defender of Justice and Love, Savior of the World and the Universe be an excellent addition as an Auror; and lastly, wouldn't the ex-senshi, Princess Serenity, owner of the Legendary Crystal, granter of wishes and healer via the crystal be a miracle worker in the Medical Field of the Wizarding World? Despite all of her titles and achievements, Serenity Moon could not bring herself to enter any of those fields.

(This is a new world, a fresh start, a new me. If I am to remain in this world, shouldn't the current me be something else?) Serenity thought out, stuffing the leaflets back into her pocket, opting for the beautiful scenery of Hogwarts Grounds.

It had only been two days since Professor McGonagall had spoken to her, and two days since Harry had taken her out on Hogwarts Grounds to play in the snow. It was an unwise decision, but a memorable one at best. Shortly after they had tired from their chase and snowball fights, Filch had found them and shouted for them to come inside. After all, a lich was still wandering around and had attacked enough creatures and wizards alike that even Hagrid stayed inside the Castle, not that it helped the situation.

Turning away from the window, Serenity began her journey to the Entrance Hall. If she was fast enough, she could make it in time to see Hermione and the others off. Only a few students would be staying over the Winter Holidays: Serenity, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Draco, and Blaise. The other students, frightened of the lich, had scrambled to get everything ready in order to leave the school, and hopefully, convince their parents that Hogwarts was not safe and to _please_ not send them back. Of course, there were a number of parents who had already made plans in not returning them for the second term. In the meantime, the Ministry had already been contacted a few days ago by the Headmaster, and was informed that specialized Aurors and those in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

(Not that they could possibly know how to control a lich if they have no knowledge of how to retrieve the phylactery.) Serenity mentally rolled her eyes. (It should prove to be difficult, if the one who holds that particular device is none other than Voldemort.)

"Serenity! We were wondering when you would get here," Hermione startled Serenity out of her reverie as she stepped down the last flight of steps that led to the Entrance Hall.

Looking toward the sound of the voice, Serenity smiled at the group of students huddled together saying their goodbyes and exchanging gifts. And in the center of the throng were Hermione, Neville, and Luna with Harry, Ron, and Ginny close by. Ignoring her past musings, Serenity strolled toward her group of friends.

"I'm sorry I couldn't go and buy you your gifts," It pained Serenity that since her untimely arrival to the Wizarding World, there was not one knut in her name.

"Don't worry about it, Serenity," Hermione smiled alongside Neville. Luna simply hummed, her eyes holding that same dreamy expression that made Serenity wary. There were strange things in the Wizarding World that Serenity came across, but Luna Lovegood was one of the strangest. There were times that Serenity truly wondered if she simply acted that way to avoid people, or if that was her true personality. In time, Serenity gradually grew to appreciate the eccentricities of Luna Lovegood, she was strange but an overall nice girl.

"Just make sure that you take care of these two while we're gone," Hermione grinned, looking at a frowning Harry and Ron.

"And keep Ginny out of trouble," Neville put in, smirking at a red-faced Ginny Weasley.

"Don't forget the Blibbering Humdinger," Luna stated, causing several heads to turn and give Luna a curious look before turning back to their original conversation.

"Sure thing, Luna," Serenity smiled, she found Luna's words always comforting, despite her oddity.

"We're not _that_ bad," Ginny frowned, "It's not like I go out of my way finding trouble."

"Hey, we don't go _looking_ for trouble!" Ron protested.

"Trouble finds us," Harry re-affirmed, an expression so serious that the others couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

"And who were the two that earned themselves detention with Filch two weeks ago, because someone was hungry?" Hermione pointed out.

"That was different!" Ron flushed; he had forgotten about that small excursion.

"Sure it was," Neville chuckled before turning his attention back toward Serenity, "Have a pleasant holiday, Serenity. I'll be back on Boxing Day, and I'll bring you something from my trip!"

"As will I," Hermione nodded and Luna mimicked Hermione's words, more or less before all three of their friends exited Hogwarts and onto the awaiting carriages.

"Well, that's it," Ron stretched, ruffling his red hair before turning around and looking at Serenity and Harry, "Let's go to the kitchens and get some snacks!"

"Ron, you just ate two hours ago!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Exactly, I'm hungry," Ron exclaimed and Harry and Ginny groaned at his words.

"Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit hungry myself," Serenity thoughtfully said.

"I thought you were here to get _us_ out of trouble, Serenity," Harry smirked.

"Well you guys do rub off on me," Serenity remarked, lacing her hands into Harry's, an act that didn't go unnoticed by Ginny.

"Glad to know," Harry grinned before following after Ron, neither one letting the other go as they made their way to the Kitchens with Ginny right behind them.

"""""""""""

"That was delicious," Serenity proclaimed, her head tilted back as she looked up at the blue-gray sky, a smile on her face.

She was currently on the perch of the Entrance door, not wanting to return to the Gryffindor Common Room just yet. Harry had wanted her to come with them up to the Common Room where it's nice and warm. She hadn't missed the way his eyes bore into hers, with the underlying meaning that it was also safer than walking around the school corridors, and especially, right outside the walls of Hogwarts. But she insisted that she would only be gone for a short while, and so, all three of her friends had reluctantly left.

(Ron should have already begged Harry for a game of chess.) Serenity fondly smiled (And Ginny would watch for a few minutes before taking out a _Witch Weekly_ magazine.)

Suppressing a shudder, Serenity brought her school robes closer to her frame and tried to blend into a small niche near the doorway. If she had brought warmer clothes with her, she would have decided on a nice stroll, but she hadn't.

"Shouldn't you be inside, little cub?" a warm voice whispered to her ear.

"Malfoy," Serenity lightly smiled, she knew that the Slytherin would have found her sooner or later. It was a ritual they shared every day, even if the timing wasn't always the same. But if it was, people would have probably figured out the odd relationship the two shared.

"Moon," Draco smirked before tugging on Serenity's robes and pulling her closer to his tall frame, "Foolish Gryffindors, never one to think about the consequences of their actions."

"If I'm foolish, what are you?" Serenity turned around, an elegant eyebrow lifted up in query.

"Unlike you," Draco leaned in, his mouth dangerously close to her lips, "I'm not alone."

Serenity raised her eyes in alarm and began shifting around, terribly afraid that one of the Professors or one of her friends were right around the corner and glaring at her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable to be around Draco Malfoy, a feeling she hadn't felt since the early encounters between the two of them.

The Slytherin, however, didn't feel any of this; instead he had the audacity to _laugh_.

"And here I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave," Draco chuckled before sobering up, "Where's your bravery now?"

Before Serenity could respond, Draco pressed his lips against hers, deep and all consuming. This kiss, Serenity noted was different from all the rest, one that she had yet to experience and an indescribable feeling wormed itself into the recesses of her heart, her mind, and her gut.

His kisses and hers, when formed together, caused her to be lost in the bliss of heaven and hell but it was peculiar. In the heat of the moment, Serenity couldn't think clearly and so didn't think much on the matter, only absently noting that the kiss was more emotional.

And emotional was what one would describe the passion that the two shared. It was slow and sweet, fast yet firm. Lips locked together in an embrace that was deeper than all the others the two shared. Desperate, unyielding, and strong and just as Serenity gets a feeling of that exchange it suddenly changes; soft, inevitable, a kiss so soft and calm that it almost felt like a passing breeze. It was akin to drowning before suddenly changing to a feeling similar to being lifted up into the air and soaring into a calm breeze.

The kiss that Draco Malfoy bestowed upon her was a kiss of unimaginable proportions. The kiss that Draco Malfoy imparted to her was memorable; a kiss to last for a lifetime.

When it was over, Serenity was back to the telltale signs of a dazed look, rumpled hair and clothes, breathless, and bruised lips. Malfoy took the time to trace her lips and cheeks, memorizing her face as best he could before stepping back.

"Thanks," Draco whispered huskily into her ear before giving her one last chaste kiss and turning around, returning inside to the castle.

Several minutes later, Serenity slowly returned to herself and realized that she was still outside. A small smile on her lips, Serenity began straightening herself out and was about to enter the castle when she caught sight of a glittering object a few feet from where she stood.

Curious, Serenity left her spot and stepped onto the cold grounds. The object in question couldn't have possibly been there earlier or else she would have noticed it.

Who wouldn't? Even though it was small, there was an untold power that drew anyone to it and the item seemed to be shining so brightly that a person had to look twice to see what it was. And that was what Serenity had set out to do.

A few steps later, Serenity bent down on the snow and picked it up. There, on the palm of her hand, laid a ring. The simple yellow-gold band had an unnatural glow and at the center was a diamond serpent.

"Strange; who would leave such an expensive item on the ground?" Serenity mused aloud and drew closer to it, on the inside of the band there was a written inscription.

"_Anguis in herba_," Serenity read aloud.

(Doesn't that translate to, a snake in the grass?)

Right after those words passed her mind, the ring in question began to glow ominously before Serenity felt a tug on her navel and darkness enveloped her thoughts.

Unknown to Serenity Moon, just before she was transported away she had dropped her wand on the now empty embankment of snow. And it wouldn't be until later that night that someone discovered that Serenity Moon is now missing from Hogwarts; the only sign that she could possibly have been taken from the school was the wand left behind, a few feet from the Entrance.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""

This chapter was aimed solely to lead up to a closer relationship between Harry and Serenity. They aren't as physically involved like Draco and Serenity, but it's just as sweet. Harry, who hasn't really known love and isn't quite the expert as Draco would probably be, wouldn't fully comprehend as to what his feelings are toward Serenity. So he would treat these feelings with caution until he realizes what they exactly are. He already made a grand mistake with Cho Chang, and I imagine that he wouldn't want to repeat that with Serenity Moon, someone that he finds himself caring a great deal for.

Here are the translations for those Latin terms!

"_Ibi concordia, ibi vitam,_ "There is unity, there is life,

_Dum spiramus tuebimur, _ While we breathe, we shall defend,

_Viva voce._" With living voice."

"_Inflamare Maxima_." - Simply translated into "Large Flame."

"_Anguis in herba_,"

This one basically means a snake in the grass. But it could also mean: A treacherous person. That's probably a dead giveaway about what happened, isn't it?

One last note: if people are wondering about what Voldemort was saying about the night of greatest darkness and whatnot, that was inspired by Lightning on the Wave and then did a bit more research for the actual day; which is the 21st of December, I'll elaborate later.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Needed

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners.

For those that were wondering about the chosen date of Serenity's abduction, it's because the first night of the Yule season is the 21st of December. The celebration according to the Norse is traditionally held for 12 days and ends on New Year's Day.

Modified: September 14, 2008.

""""""""""""

There was darkness, and the feeling of cold swept her body. Serenity Moon made a vain attempt of warding off the coldness. When Serenity's eyes fluttered open, she did not notice anything but the lack of lighting.

(Where am I?) Serenity mentally groaned, suppressing another shiver.

All she could remember was the odd, but memorable kiss she shared with a certain Draco Malfoy before finding a strange ring…

(The ring; it must have been a por-portkey!) Serenity grew alarmed and tried to sit up, but winced when she felt an undeniable pain from the side of her head. She must have landed roughly when she arrived here, wherever _here_ was.

"Quite a fall you have taken, Ms. Moon," amusedly stated a figure in what Serenity could only say was a hiss.

The statement, however, was not met with silence but several chuckles and that made Serenity freeze. She was not alone with only one person in the room, but several.

Looking up, Serenity paled as she saw a surprisingly handsome young man with red eyes. And as she looked around the room, seeing the unmistakable dark garbs and masks of several people, she narrowed down as to who this figure was and where she was at.

This man that smirked at her was none other than the Dark Lord Voldemort.

The people surrounding this room were none other than his Death Eaters.

This place must be the Dark Lord's fortress.

And from the way the Dark Lord was leering at her, she knew that her presence here was not an accident. Looking at the ring that was still in her possession and recalling the words, she felt an undeniable pain clench her heart.

She had been betrayed.

"Figured it out, have you? It seems that fall hasn't knocked away all of your wits then," Voldemort mused.

More laughter and if the pain in her heart could worsen, it had. She had begun to trust and maybe even grow to love _him_, but in the end he had betrayed her.

"Draco Malfoy…he's a Death Eater. He planned all of this, didn't he?" Serenity croaked out, feeling the tears well up in her crystalline blue eyes.

"Lucius, why don't you answer her?" Voldemort called out to one of his people and immediately a man in the Death Eater garb stepped up and closed in on her.

"My son may not yet be a Death Eater, but he has some uses. He had kindly informed of me about a certain transfer student that my Lord has grown an interest in. And when my son has enlightened me of a dispute the two of you shared, he had come up with an idea to extract his… revenge."

At his words, Serenity felt even worse. All this time, all those encounters, all those moments that they shared. They were nothing more than a farce. It was all some elaborate scheme to make her fall for him, to grow to trust him, and then… in the end lure her when the time was right….

The ring had been planted while she was at his mercy. It may not have been right in her hand, but it would be in an area where she wouldn't miss it. The person he may have been with would have to be…

"To ensure that nothing wrong occurred during your abduction, I have kindly volunteered to see the plan through," the Death Eater informed her.

"So it was nothing more…"Serenity murmured to herself.

(It was just a kiss…) Serenity dryly reminded herself. Draco Malfoy had always said those words when she had the chance to question the Slytherin and in the end, those kisses really were nothing more than just that – kisses.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud laugh originating from the Dark Lord himself, and it was so cold, so menacing that Serenity couldn't help but shudder. It seemed that the fragment instilled into the Dark Wizard was a horrible combination and produced a horrifying creature.

"You don't believe that he _cared_ for you?" Voldemort coldly inquired and Serenity, once more found herself wishing that these feelings inside of her no longer existed.

The Dark Lord took a step forward and with a wave of his wand had levitated her close to the red-eyed man.

"You are as foolish as I remember, Princess," Voldemort hissed in her ear, surprising the silver-blond haired teenager.

(Chaos!) Serenity widened her eyes in fear. If Chaos's fragment recalled her and was fused with Voldemort, it could only mean that the piece was not as small as she first believed. It had to be large and from the way Voldemort leered at her, it was huge enough for him to think that she was not a threat.

Before Serenity could say anything, Voldemort waved his wand, sending her flying across the room and dropped unceremoniously on the floor. Biting her lip from screaming, Serenity instead dug into her robes to retaliate only to find that she couldn't find her wand.

"Idiotic girl, why else had we not bothered to tie you up?" Voldemort mocked as he strolled over to the girl and lifted her up in the air, "You have no power here, and your magic has been repressed so long as you remain."

Serenity's eyes widened at this statement and an undeniable feeling of dread crept into her heart.

"How?" Serenity whispered, eyes that once showed her defiant nature slowly began to crumble and Voldemort smirked as he witnessed her will falling and the fear gradually grow.

"A ritual, my dear," Voldemort grinned.

Serenity was beginning to fear that she really may not escape her encounter with Voldemort. She suddenly felt how very mortal she suddenly was. There was no chance she could defeat the current Dark Lord, a demi-god. She had no power; she was not physically fit to go against him, especially with hundreds, if not the thousand Death Eaters present. There were no backups, no guardians to save her.

She was alone.

"What do you want from me," Serenity uttered, closing her eyes, her head bowed.

(I have failed you…) Serenity murmured, thoughts of the Cauldron, her friends, her family, the Headmaster, the Deputy Headmistress, Harry and the other students that she had grown so fond of.

Voldemort only smirked; a cold smile settling on his face was the only thing Serenity could remember before he stepped back and cast a spell on her. Then all she knew was pain and more pain before she succumbed to darkness.

"My Lord, what should we do with her?" a Death Eater stepped forward, bowing low into the ground.

Said Dark Lord only glared hard at the idiotic Death Eater that dared to question him.

"_Crucio_," Voldemort lazily said, letting the Dark Curse linger on the man before he released him from his horrid fate.

Pausing for a few seconds to allow the Death Eater to recover himself, Voldemort surveyed his Death Eaters, his eyes lingering on every single one before finally he stepped back up on the dais and summoned Serenity to lay right beside his throne. He would deal with the girl later.

"Tonight is the time of greatest darkness; tonight is the longest night of the year. Tonight is a time of limitless possibilities; a night to remember; for here we shall celebrate," Voldemort announced, earning an enthusiastic cheer from his Followers and at this he chose the time to pause and bathe himself in his fellows' enthrall.

"Tonight, my Loyal Followers, tonight, amidst the darkness is when we shall begin our festivities and a ritual that you are sure to remember for all time. Our power shall swell to greater heights and," Voldemort had managed to captivate every single Death Eater's attention at full capacity, and he chose to pause once more but this time to cast a spell on Serenity to let her hover right in front of him, " _she_…is our key."

A great cheer soared through the chambers and Voldemort allowed them their time of exultation. Amidst the merriment of the Death Eaters, one of them paled behind his mask and knew that, at this moment, he could not do anything but join in the fray. Severus Snape may be a Death Eater, but he was spy for the Light, his loyalty did not lie with Voldemort but with Albus Dumbledore. Although he wanted to leave in order to inform the Headmaster about this turn of events, he could not. Even if one person left, the Dark Lord would notice, especially if it was one from his Inner Circle. He could not jeopardize his position in the Dark Lord's Inner Circle for a student.

(Silly girl, to play into a Malfoy's hands, to play into the Dark Lord's hands…) Snape mentally sneered, his eyes trained on the girl that now laid herself neatly beside Voldemort's feet.

"Let us begin!" Voldemort announced and suddenly the ceiling above them opened up, revealing the dark sky overhead. The dais that Voldemort stood in rose into imperceptible heights that met the opening overhead. The throne that he normally sat in had transformed into a sacrificial alter and Snape watched as the Dark Lord picked Serenity Moon up and gently laid her on said alter. At this, Snape paled even more.

The events that would transpire were just about to get even more interesting.

""""""""""

"Serenity is missing!" Harry exclaimed as he ran into the Great Hall, a wand in his hand. Behind him were Ron and Ginny, both with looks of concern and signs of panic.

"Harry, calm down, what do you mean Ms. Moon is missing?" Dumbledore inquired, his stance a bit more alert but overall relaxed.

Beside him was Professor McGonagall, her stance was more alert and a frown had suddenly developed on her face alongside several other Professors. Harry took this moment to look at the circle of Professors and students, those being Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. He noticed that Professor Snape had yet to arrive.

"Serenity is missing, Headmaster," Ginny took this moment to speak, casting a sidelong glance at the agitated Boy-Who-Lived.

"She was supposed to come back to the Common Room after we left her for awhile. She said she would only take a short while to herself, to take a stroll, and we figured it couldn't be more than an hour. But… dinner has started and we thought for sure she would be here," Ron took over, explaining the situation.

"I had a bad feeling a few hours ago, my scar suddenly began…to burn," Harry could care less if his most hated rival and another Slytherin heard him at this point, Serenity was missing, damn the consequences, "Immediately, I knew something was up, so we went to try and look for her. We didn't find her in her usual places and I thought to check outside…"

"Mr. Potter!" Minerva gasped; it was now common knowledge that the outside would be dangerous. There were fewer students and even though the lich hadn't showed up in awhile, it was sure to still be around.

"Outside we found her wand," Harry continued, and presented the wand to the Headmaster who took it in his possession. The usual calm mask that the Headmaster wore faded to be replaced by a frown, his expression grim.

"It would appear that she has been abducted," the Headmaster announced.

"They did it!" Ron cried out, pointing at a seemingly calm Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, both of which only raised their eyebrow in response.

"Mr. Weasley, please restrain yourself!" McGonagall reprimanded.

"You can't possibly mean that they had nothing to do with her abduction, do you?!" Ron exclaimed, his face furious.

"Indeed, they have not," Dumbledore calmly intercepted, shocking the three Gryffindors.

"The portraits and ghosts that litter the castle report to me if a student has done anything out of the ordinary, and if they have left the castle. None of them have said anything, thus I am inclined to not suspect my students of anything," Dumbledore explained.

"Well, what if one of them used a spell or something?" Harry asked and to which Ron wholeheartedly supported.

"Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini have been reported by the portraits inside the Slytherin Common Room that they have not left since lunch time. Both of them have been studying in the Common Room right up until dinner time." Dumbledore explained and at this point the three Gryffindors could only grudgingly retract their earlier accusations and bitterly apologized to the two Slytherins.

"I still don't trust you, Malfoy," Harry glowered to the smirking Slytherin and expanded his glare over to Zabini.

"Shame the little Gryffindor is no longer here, it would have been fun to play with her to pass the time away," Malfoy drawled, "I heard she was quite the entertainer."

At this, Harry growled and whipped out his wand, training it on Malfoy shortly followed by Ginny and Ron. Zabini and Malfoy, then too, rose up from their positions on the table with their wands outstretched.

"Now is not the time for quarrels," Dumbledore stepped in amidst the shouting Professors, "Please, sit down. We shall settle the matter with Ms. Moon soon enough."

A few minutes later, everyone was calmed down, but the silence that befell the Great Hall was unbelievably strained. Malfoy and Zabini would simply smirk to themselves while the three Gryffindors shot daggers toward the Slytherins.

Shortly after dinner, the two Slytherins excused themselves from the dinner table and left whilst the Professors and the Gryffindors remained behind.

"Professor, you cannot be serious? Malfoy's father…" Ron weakly began.

"Mr. Weasley, although you do present a good argument, the fact remains that although young Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater's son, the same holds true that he may not turn up in the same path as his father," Dumbledore calmly explained, "The same goes for Mr. Zabini."

"Yes, Professor," Ron sighed, knowing that he would not be changing the aged wizard's mind any time soon.

"Professor, what do we do about Serenity?" Ginny asked, staring at the wand that Dumbledore held in his hand.

"I shall inform the authorities on the matter, it does not bode well to keep this secret when several people are already enlightened with the issue," Dumbledore informed them, the implications trained on the two Slytherins that had recently left.

"I can't believe this happened," Harry whispered to himself, "I should never have left her alone."

"It's not your fault Harry, none of us knew this was going to happen," Ginny's attempt to soothe the boy's troubles didn't seem to matter, but instead caused him to fall into silence.

"Why don't you three go to your Common Room while we discuss what to do next?" Dumbledore advised and so the three rose up to leave, but this time two of the Professors, Professor Vector and Professor Sprout, rose up to accompany them. After all, the Gryffindor Common Room is on the seventh floor.

Once the students and the two Professors left, all eyes trained on the grave-faced Headmaster.

"We will need to look into this matter more closely," Dumbledore addressed the Professors, "But first we must…"

From here, the Headmaster began to make preparations and he would need to start with his Professors. He could not afford to lose more students, especially if they were close to the Boy-Who-Lived.

"""""""""""

"Any regrets?" Blaise calmly asked the boy beside him. They had shortly arrived in the Slytherin Common Room and had cast a silencing spell around their section before speaking. It was a normal occurrence in the Slytherin Dungeons.

"Why do you ask?" Draco asked, lounging in his favorite armchair, his face trained on the fireplace.

"Normally, you would be gloating about the masterful plan that you had pulled off. Yet, here you are, the great Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, the sole heir of the Malfoy fortune, doing nothing more than to stare blankly at a fireplace." Blaise drawled, "Tell me, Dray, is the fireplace more interesting than your recent plan?"

"Not now, Zabini!" Draco growled his gray eyes now boring into the smirking dark-haired boy, his position relaxed in his seat.

"How the mighty have fallen," Blaise chuckled, ignoring how Draco only glowered in response, not amused by Blaise's antics, "You have done what many others have allowed themselves to do."

"And what is that, Zabini?" Draco spat out.

"You, Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Sex God, have fallen in _love_," Blaise grinned.

To this, Draco Malfoy tilted his head back and laughed in response, momentarily stunning the dark-haired boy, the one that self-appointed himself to be Draco Malfoy's best friend.

"Love, Zabini? You have lost it," Draco chuckled, "Love is a weakness, and Malfoys do not let themselves be weak. Besides, _she_ was nothing more than a passing fancy, a good time if anything."

"Then why did you spend so much time snogging her?" Blaise pointed out, not wanting to back down just yet.

"It was just a kiss, Blaise," Draco smirked before turning his attention back to the fireplace, "…just a kiss."

Blaise Zabini only lifted up his brow, taking a moment to study the Slytherin before leaving him alone. With a flick of his wand, he summoned his schoolwork and soon lost himself into his parchments. And in the meanwhile, Draco Malfoy continued to look at the fireplace, lost in thought.

(I may no longer believe in the Dark Lord's ideals, but I will not let the Malfoy name be tarnished. She deserves everything she gets when in the Dark Lord's clutches.) Draco assured himself in his head, wanting to believe that his plan was correct. That his idea was the right course of action in retribution for wounding his pride.

He had spent a long time with the plan. To seduce her, break her, and in the end cast her aside. A few hours ago was the last time he saw her, thus the kiss had been memorable. While he was outside in the snow with her, Blaise had been inside the Common Room with a well-placed illusion spell with the aid of his father. Then his father would came outside to join him and plant the ring in the snow, he was careful not to leave any lingering evidence. In the end, the plan had been successful.

Yet, as he continued to stare at the dancing flames, feeling the warmth emitting from the hearth, something clutched at his heart and he remembered. He remembered her warm hands, her breath, the silkiness of her hair, the taste of her lips. And just as suddenly as he recalled her, just as he was about to recall the way he felt when holding her in his arms, he repressed it.

(She is nothing more than a pawn in my hands. I had my fun with her.) Draco reminded himself (It was just a kiss…)

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think: _Is it really just a kiss?_

""""""""""""

A few hours after midnight, the doors of the Entrance Hall slammed open as Severus Snape strolled inside, the back of his cloak billowing thus making him appear quite formidable.

Shortly after his entrance, Severus Snape soon found himself entering the Headmaster's office, noticing that he was in the company of Minerva McGonagall and the Defense Professor, Perrier Flamel.

The expression on both professors' faces only told him something that he was sure they already knew.

"Headmaster, Serenity Moon is in the clutches of the Dark Lord," Snape curtly informed and noted how all faces turned quite grim at this point, but none were surprised.

"We feared as much," the Headmaster sighed, taking off his spectacles as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Her wand was found just outside of the Entrance by her friends," Minerva supplied.

"Tell me, Professor Snape," Flamel tentatively began, green eyes focused on the Potions Professor, "Has the Dark Lord done anything with her?"

At this, the Professor turned his sharp eyes on the Defense Professor and sneered.

"Severus, do not worry, he has my utmost trust and confidence," the Headmaster intervened, letting his spy know that he trusted the man even if they hadn't been in his company for a long time.

"That is something else I wanted to tell you, Headmaster," Professor Snape allowed himself to say, "Shortly after my arrival, the _girl_ was already in his company, unconscious. A few minutes later, she woke up and the two had spoken. It would seem that this had already been pre-arranged, if what I heard was correct."

"What do you mean, Severus?" Minerva inquired her face pale.

"The Dark Lord had already planned the abduction of the girl, to have her delivered to him by tonight. By the time I had arrived, he had already made preparations to ensure that everything would go according to plan. He had cast an unknown spell, possibly with the help of Lucius Malfoy; the spell acted as a suppressant over her magical abilities, rendering her to be nothing more than a _squib_ so long as she remains in the Dark Lord's domain."

Faces paled, heartbeats accelerated, and Flamel seemed to be clutching his wand, agitation now appearing on his face.

"Lucius Malfoy?" Minerva McGonagall audibly inquired and Snape simply stared at her before nodding in affirmation.

"His son seemed to have had a dispute with your student, and in retaliation, had come up with an elaborate plan to have her abducted." Snape informed the trio, "Tell me; has anything of interest been made present in the company of my two students?"

"Nothing has been reported," Dumbledore shook his head.

"As expected from the Malfoy and Zabini heirs," Snape nodded in understanding.

"What happened in the end?" Flamel pressed.

At his words, Snape's face darkened and his voice went imperceptibly soft.

"A ritual occurred, one of his darkest yet. In the night of winter's Solstice; the time of greatest darkness; the longest night of the year, a ritual took place. It was a ceremony so ancient, so dark that he used the girl and offered her to the dark heavens."

No one said anything, all three waiting for what their spy would say.

"He promised us greater power, and he was true to his words. By offering her blood, by sacrificing her purity, power was bestowed upon all of us, _Him_ most of all."

Professor McGonagall choked back a sob, Flamel gripped his wand tighter, his eyes closed, and Dumbledore had taken off his spectacles, his eyes closed and head bowed.

"Is she…?" Dumbledore began.

"Surprisingly, she is still alive, but I do not know where she is being held." Snape alleviated a bit of their fears, "The Dark Lord released us a few hours after the ritual, allowing only Wormtail and Lucius Malfoy to remain behind."

"I see," Dumbledore gravely stated.

"We must save her, Albus, we cannot…" Minerva choked out, her eyes red-rimmed and face flushed with tears, something that Snape had not witnessed in all his years as her student and as a Potions Professor.

"Of course, Minerva," Dumbledore humbly agreed and turned his eyes on Severus Snape.

"I will do what I can, Headmaster," Snape nodded.

"Let me go with you," Flamel cried out, "Just let me inside his domain, and I'll do the rest."

"And what can you do?!" Snape glowered, "You will only let yourself be foolishly caught or worse…the Dark Lord's fortress is a maze, not even his Inner Circle knows all the secrets inside it."

At this, Flamel could only step back, his face cast aside, and his hold of his wand tighter than ever, revealing the pulsing throb of his veins.

"Without her…" Flamel began, "Who knows what will happen to this world?"

"You think her too highly, she is simply a student of this school," Snape snidely stated, "A mere fancy for the Golden Boy."

"You're wrong!" Flamel growled out, his emerald eyes glowing in strength, "You'll never understand just how powerful she is!"

"Foolish; if you were in this school you would undeniably be a Gryffindor," Snape acidly spat out.

"Severus!" Minerva and Dumbledore cried out.

"Haven't you wondered just _why_ Voldemort," Flamel slowly uttered, ignoring the winces that came from McGonagall and Snape, "chose Serenity Moon for the ritual? And why he made the plans so secret, so carefully, and so elaborately?"

At this the Potions Professor could only stand still, his stance rigid and his face focused solely on Perrier Flamel.

"She is not a normal student, Professor; she is not a normal _girl_," Flamel stated, and it was at this point that even McGonagall and Dumbledore had gone quiet.

All eyes, including the portraits and Fawkes, were trained on the Defense Professor. All of the occupants in the room were wondering how this person knew the transfer student so well and why.

"Serenity Moon, Professor, had been sent here by the Cauldron," Flamel revealed, "She was sent here to help your _Golden Boy_. Without her, I am afraid that all hope may be lost…"

"A Cauldron?" Snape snorted.

"The cauldron, Severus, is where everything begins and ends," Dumbledore supplied, his blue eyes focused on the Defense Professor, "Although, I wonder how you have come across this information, Perrier."

"Ms. Moon has visited me many times, Headmaster," Flamel curtly informed, not wanting to reveal more than he was willing, and to ensure that he reinforced the barriers of his Occlumency shields.

"This information has been revealed to Minerva and me when she had first appeared at our school," Dumbledore revealed.

"And why have I not been informed of this, Headmaster?" Snape gritted out, at the same time trying to calm his raging mind.

"We hadn't believed that it was of anything of importance. Her role in the school hadn't really been significant until now; it seems her position has changed greatly," Dumbledore sighed.

His words deeply grieved several members in the room; two of which were slightly angered by the Headmaster's words. It would appear that he had not taken Serenity Moon's appearance to be of anything importance, a grave mistake and one that could not be redeemed anytime soon.

"I will not stand by for his, Headmaster," Flamel shook his head, "If nothing is to be done but to simply wait…"

"I did not say that nothing will be done, Perrier. But we must not think rashly..." Dumbledore calmly informed the man.

"And what should we do? Bide and wait? At this moment, who knows what _He_ will do to her? He has already done enough, and I cannot imagine what else may result from this the longer he holds her in his grasp!" Flamel exclaimed, "Do you not know what Voldemort has done to himself to be capable of such a ritual as he had just performed?!"

"And what is that?" Snape pressed, wondering what else has been kept from him.

Flamel stopped himself and looked around the room, noticing how Minerva was pale-faced and Dumbledore was quite grim, both he imagined knew but would not tell the Potions Professor.

"He had merged a portion of himself with Chaos," Flamel informed Snape who widened his eyes; even if Severus Snape had no great knowledge of the Cauldron, he knew enough as to what exactly Chaos was.

"And the _girl_ can deal with _Him_?" Snape incredulously cried out.

Flamel simply nodded in reply, suppressing the need to laugh at expression on the face of Severus Snape. He had yet to see the man appear surprised, oh how he wished that he had that boy – Colin Creevy's camera at the moment.

"The fact remains that we must not rush headlong into danger without precaution," Dumbledore intervened, serious and adamant about his decision.

"If what Professor Flamel has revealed is true, Headmaster," Snape took the moment to cast a glance at the grave Defense Professor, "Then I shall do all I can to retrieve Ms. Moon from her fate."

"That's all we can ask for, Severus, thank you," Dumbledore nodded before dismissing all three from his office.

When alone, the Headmaster took the moment to glance at the wand in his hand and audibly sighed.

"I can only pray that you are successful, Severus," Dumbledore mused, "Even if she was not sent by the Cauldron itself, her role in this world is no small feat."

Taking one last glance, the Headmaster opened his drawer and dropped the foreign wand into it.

To be continued….

""""""""""""""""""""


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Needed

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners.

Warning: This chapter will contain mild nudity, implied rape, and torture. If you feel squeamish, I advise that you simply skim the details and just read the dialogue when it comes.

Modified: October 14, 2008

"""""""""""""""

Days passed slowly for several members in Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Aurors that had been summoned littered the school, carefully combing the area to see if there would be any traces of the missing student, but nothing had been found except a lingering trace of a portkey just outside of the Entrance. Not one single Auror could figure out where the portkey lead, and the days spent researching for a way to solve that problem, had only resulted to a dead end. Whoever came up with the abduction had not left a significant clue as to where Serenity Moon was sent.

Professors that had grown fond of the maiden spent their days worried, trying to keep themselves occupied by ensuring themselves and others that Serenity would surely return to Hogwarts. Yet with each passing day, their concern would increase, their positive thoughts slowly regressing to denial, before turning into depression. It was evident to the three Gryffindors and several members of the staff that Serenity Moon had left a great impression on all of them.

As for the Gryffindors, all were somber, and each day they would come as a group to the Headmaster to question about Serenity Moon's situation. The first time they asked the Headmaster, they were relieved to find out that she was still alive. However, when the three Gryffindors were informed that she was in the clutches of Voldemort, they quickly became distressed. Thankfully, the Headmaster had left out the information about her being used in a dark ritual and that Voldemort and his Followers had grown stronger, or else they would surely panic.

Since the first inquiry, the three would return each day after breakfast, only to be told the same answer. Wisely enough, no one outside of the school had been informed about the missing student. Thus, with each day, the worry inside the institution grew and they only had themselves for comfort.

Before anyone knew it, Christmas Day has arrived. Four days since Serenity's abduction and four days of increasing agitation and worry.

"""""""""

Silence, a somber ambiance, and nothing but a dark atmosphere was what greeted the students when they entered the Great Hall. Several Aurors, instead of throwing their merriment for the joyous day, were instead spent in a huddle in the back corner of the Great Hall, looking at the map of Hogwarts. The Professors, though wearing festive clothing or close to it, had dismal faces or faux smiles settled on their faces. No one was in the mood to celebrate, despite the festive decorations and the lingering music of Christmas Carols wafting through the hallway.

Silently, Harry, Ron, and Ginny sat down on the table, not a single one willing to even attempt to try and present a happy façade. And just as quietly, they retrieved a few portions from the various plates that littered the table. Even Ron, hadn't attempted to get as much as he normally would have. The normally gluttonous Weasley had lost his appetite from the sheer reminder that Serenity was not here to enjoy her first Christmas with her new friends.

"She was supposed to be here," Ron mumbled, forcefully swallowing the bit of food and took the moment to cast a glance at all the glum faces in the Great Hall. He was a bit taken aback when he saw that even Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were subdued. Instead of the expectant rowdy noise, the cheerful celebration that would normally originate from the Slytherins, the two kept to themselves and spoke in hushed voices.

"She only had us to be with her," Ginny painfully whispered, looking down at her plate and pushed the food around.

"…but she's not," Harry viciously stabbed at the mince pie, before taking a bite out of the proffered food.

(When I face Voldemort again, he'll wish that he never ordered for her abduction. If he has harmed one strand of hair on her head…) Harry growled, his emerald green eyes glowing with an intensity that would have sent the food in his plate shaking in fear if it were alive.

"Leave it be, Zabini!" Draco Malfoy cried out, glowering at the dark-haired boy before storming out of the Great Hall and possibly to his Common Room.

The dark Slytherin only stared at the Malfoy heir with an air of indifference before returning back to his meal, acting as if nothing had happened. Slowly others, who had watched the argument between the two, returned back to their meals and conversations, all except for three Gryffindors.

"I wonder what that was about," Ginny audibly mumbled.

"Who knows?" Ron shrugged.

Harry simply chose not to say anything, silently wondering what it was that the two Slytherins had argued about just a few minutes ago.

Eventually, Harry stopped his line of thought, deciding that it wasn't as important as worrying about Serenity's welfare. It was Christmas, and she had yet to return from Voldemort's domain. He had more things to concern himself with than a silly dispute between the two Slytherins.

"I'm going ahead," Harry mumbled just audible enough for his two friends to hear, and before the two could protest he had already left the table and was heading out the door.

"Poor Harry," Ginny sighed.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ron mumbled doubtfully, not believing in his own words.

""""""""""

Closing the portrait door in back of him, Harry trudged over to his regular seat beside the fire, and blankly stared around the room. It was so silent and still since the news of Serenity had made itself known. Although Harry wanted to run right outside of Hogwarts in search of her, he knew that he shouldn't… not with what happened the year before in the Ministry.

The Tournament and the silly idea of sharing the Cup with Cedric Diggory only ended up a disaster. The Ministry and the Department of Mysteries was a sham. Cedirc died; Sirius fell into the Veil.

And now Harry knew that something would happen to someone else, someone he had grown to care for.

"Serenity, please be okay," Harry mumbled, burying his head into his hands, praying to what Gods were out there to hear his plea.

Somewhere along the way, the feelings that he felt since that day in the Transfiguration Classroom had intensified. Before he knew it, he had begun to fall for her. He never even noticed, until a few days ago when he had found her wand.

"The people I care about only wind up getting hurt, or worse," Harry spat acidly, "My parents died protecting me, Cedric who I came to regard and respect died due to my foolishness, and Sirius…Sirius fell through the Veil."

"Now Serenity was taken from me," Harry crumbled.

(I never knew how much I needed you in my life, until now…) Harry said, unable to bring himself to say it aloud.

Amidst the warm Common Room, Harry Potter folded into himself and thought of nothing except for the silver-blond haired transfer student that had unexpectedly wormed herself into his heart.

"""""""""""

Draco Malfoy prided himself for his ingenuity. The plan he had formed earlier in the year had been one of his pride and joy: his father had been proud of him when he executed it so perfectly, so flawlessly. Not a single one of those blasted Aurors could trace where the Portkey had gone or who had been in her company that day. And if they had chosen to reflect back to who had been with her in the past, not a single suspicion would fall on him.

He had an alibi for each single encounter. He had others to vouch for him, even under Veritaserum; he was untouchable.

Yes, Draco Malfoy was devious, capable of getting what he wanted and at the same time ensuring that he got it done. A reason why teachers were compelled to praise him, even if they would do otherwise; a reason why his peers respected him; a reason why those that did not give him respect, feared or hated him with a passion.

He never had a reason to feel any sense of guilt for his actions; he was a Slytherin to the core and Slytherins rarely, if ever, feel that they were in the wrong for anything. Nevertheless, Draco Malfoy had begun to feel that form of emotion with each passing day since the announcement that Serenity Moon was no longer in the castle. It had bothered him so strongly that he had begun to quiet down, burying himself into the mound of work that had been assigned to him and when done, have re-checked it with the utmost care that would even make that Mudblood Granger be ashamed of her own parchments.

At first, Blaise Zabini had allowed him to brood awhile, thinking it was just a momentary lapse of losing someone you had been around for some time – something akin to losing a pet or a beloved stuffed animal. Blaise Zabini, however, never believed that Draco Malfoy seriously _cared_ for the girl. Granted, the girl was quite the looker for a Gryffindor, and she was not as prejudiced when it came to Houses, but for her to be seriously involved with Draco Malfoy was something else.

The Moon family, in Blaise Zabini's opinion, was well-known to the purebloods. They were around the mid '60s before seemingly disappearing right in the beginning of the '70s. It was rumored that the family had left the U.K. because the Dark Lord had begun to recruit Followers as his Death Eaters. They were once well-known, but since their disappearance, their fame had all but deteriorated in the eyes of the purebloods.

This is why Blaise Zabini could not possibly believe that the one known as Serenity Moon would ever make as a nice catch for Draco Malfoy.

And when Blaise had begun to try to pull the Slytherin out of his stupor, Draco had snubbed him before finally breaking down on Christmas Day, and stormed out of the Great Hall, not caring that he was not acting the way he should as a member of the Slytherin House.

Now here was Draco Malfoy, deep into his already finished Christmas work, trying in vain to forget about everything that happened.

"If you care for her so much, why not have her released?" Blaise advised, carefully watching his friend from nearby, "It's not like the Dark Lord has anything more to do with her. We know that the ritual has been completed, what else would he use her for?"

Draco Malfoy remained ignorant of his friend's advice, but had stopped his attempts of even faking that he was writing anything on the blank piece of parchment.

"That is… if she is still alive and well," Blaise pressed.

At his words, Draco dropped his quill and spun around, his gray eyes burning with ferocity.

"You have no say!" Draco grounded out.

"It's obvious that she is more than a passing fancy, Malfoy. And if you remain the way you are, our peers will quickly realize that you are faltering as the epitome of Slytherin!" Blaise raised his voice to new heights, something that he had never done before during his six years in Hogwarts.

"It's too late, Blaise," Draco backed down; knowing that what his colleague had said was true.

It would be dangerous to appear anything less than ecstatic in front of his peers at the news that the Dark Lord had grown in power. The Slytherins had many loyal followers and several supporters, and in the center of it all, he was to be their leader; he was the Slytherins' Prince. Although Blaise Zabini along with a few of his close confidants knew of his wavering loyalty, they still stuck by him, having known Draco Malfoy for most of their life; they were the only ones he could rely on. If he wavered from his position, if he lost his title as the leader, his friends, too, would crumble. And in the end, they would be cast aside from the rest of the Slytherins, there would no longer be protection offered to them whilst in the Slytherin Dungeons. It would only be a matter of time before their own families would receive news and they would be either killed, or worse, disowned. Something no Slytherin would ever want to experience.

"You are the heir of the Malfoy fortune, the only son of Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord's favored Death Eater in his Inner Circle," Blaise Zabini stated with an air of confidence, "There is _nothing_ that you cannot have."

At Blaise's oozing confident tones, Draco Malfoy smirked in reply. It would take some time for Draco to plan and strategize, finding the best way to implement his idea and best course of action but he would do it. And whilst he began jotting down his idea and strategies a thought occurred to him and slowly a sad smile appeared on his face.

"I know that even when she does return," Draco paused in his planning, "nothing will be the same. She could never forgive me for betraying her…"

Blaise stared for a moment at his friend, "Perhaps, but would you let her remain in the Dark Lord's clutches?"

"What do you take me for, Zabini?" Draco lifted up an elegant eyebrow, "Even if she does hate me, at least I know she's okay. Potter, as much as I hate to admit it, will take care of her. And don't you _dare_ tell him that!"

"Of course," Blaise smirked before the two resumed in their planning.

(It's fine like this…isn't it?) Draco mused in the back of his head as he crossed out an idea in favor of another one.

"""""""""""

Excruciating pain lingered in her limbs, in almost every part of her body. The first time had been the worse and this was simply the aftereffects. The Cruciatus Curse, had been horrible, she felt like burning when she first experienced it; she wanted to scrape away her own skin and make the pain stop. Yet, compared to what she had recently experienced three days ago and each day after, had nothing on the Cruciatus. No; the Cruciatus she would willingly go under if it meant she could forget the events that transpired after.

Serenity Moon dully stared up at the blank patch of the ceiling in the seemingly elegant room she currently resided in. The room was furnished with elaborate designs and furnishings, all done in blood red and emerald green laced with gold and silver. Gryffindor and Slytherin were the implications as the theme of the room. And something that Serenity had thought to be a mockery of her current situation. She once believed that a Slytherin and Gryffindor could love, that the two could possibly be joined together, but after everything that happened, those beliefs had painfully been shredded from her subconscious.

A Slytherin as Dark as Voldemort's Followers knew nothing of love but only lust.

A Slytherin like the Malfoys could never comprehend what passion was, aside from their own ideals and power.

A Slytherin like Voldemort himself could care for nothing save himself.

Serenity had spent the past few days dwelling in these thoughts, her own musings the only company she could find that she could trust. She had long since given up trying to escape from the Dark Lord's domain; hell she couldn't even leave the room! Her food magically arrived in a timely manner, the only indication of what time it currently was. But Serenity no longer needed to know what time of day it was or the current date. Her will, her resolve had disappeared three days ago.

Suddenly a small pop indicated that her food arrived alerted her, and Serenity casually turned her head away from the patch on the ceiling in favor of the steaming food on the table beside her. From the appearance of the lamb and vegetables it was dinnertime. Sighing, Serenity sluggishly moved to her side and raised the proffered fork toward the meal. She had no appetite but to not eat the offered food would only anger Voldemort. The last few times she angered the Dark Lord were memories she would care not to remember.

Suppressing the idea of killing herself with the cutting knife right beside her spoon, Serenity began to eat until she was sated and returned to her original task – staring at nothing and thinking of nothing but mindless ideas.

(How long has it been since my arrival? Are the others worried, are they angry?) Serenity mused, knowing that as much as she thought about her friends all she could conjure up were idle fantasies of 'what ifs' that may or may no longer come true.

Her ideas of escape had been tried and failed, her yelling and shouting and simple tantrums have been squashed down and buried, and she had been punished thoroughly to the brink of near death: mentally and physically.

Her musings were once again interrupted when a seemingly blank wall shimmered, before melting away to show a door, it opened a second later and the Dark Lord strolled in, a smirk on his lips. Behind him, the door closed by itself and the illusion was replaced.

"Happy Christmas, my dear _princess_," the Dark Lord greeted.

Looking at the casually dressed Dark Lord, the smirk on his lips, and the lust in his eyes gave Serenity a feeling of dread. Something she always felt when in his presence or with any of his usual _visitors_. Subconsciously, Serenity pressed herself back against the wall of the bed, fear radiating from her once-determined crystalline blue eyes.

The clothes she had worn days previous no longer adorned her body. And the hair she usually wore in the strange pigtails had long since been released, her hair her only piece of clothing.

All the while, the Dark Lord watched on amused by the girl's vain antics.

"No greeting?" Voldemort leered, drawing even closer.

"Happy Christmas," Serenity weakly greeted, not once leaving her eyes from the Dark Lord's devilish face, knowing that if she even mocked him it would only cause her more pain.

"You're finally learning your place," Voldemort praised and inwardly chuckled as he watched the girl slightly relax her stance on the bed.

"Let me be the one to join you in this most happy celebration," Voldemort hissed and couldn't contain the glee he felt as he watched the girl before him.

As he shed the clothing he wore, not once did his face leave hers as he witnessed with perverse fascination the emotions his presence brought her: horror and fear.

And as he drew closer, he watched as she stifled back a scream as his elongated, cold hands touched her warm body, and _felt_ her shudder.

The Dark Lord grinned once more before bringing her close to himself. He would make sure that she would scream properly this time around.

""""""""""""

Professor Perrier Flamel had always been intelligent; he had been trained under the tutelage of his Uncle Nicolas Flamel, the well-renowned alchemist and creator of the Philosopher's Stone. However, he was never one for a great deal of patience and thus delved into the art of Defense.

His lack of patience has made itself known after several days with the lack of knowledge of how Serenity is faring. Perrier knew that those three Gryffindors had grown close with his princess and he approved of them, especially Harry Potter. He was not blind to the growing attraction between the two and even encouraged it; the need for change would establish a firm connection between them in the near future. The Princess and the Chosen One; their power and dedication toward the needs of the populace should be spectacular.

However, without her, the consequences may be disastrous. And, if what Professor Severus Snape, had been informing them was true…

Perrier Artemus Flamel shuddered at the dark news that they were presented with several days ago, and was inwardly pleased that the Headmaster had wisely not informed the three Gryffindors of what was happening in the Dark Lord's domain. But he knew that the news cannot be kept silent for long; sooner or later they will know.

Already, on Boxing Day, several students have noticed Serenity's lack of presence, and have been questioning the Professors, but not a single one was willing to divulge the grim news. Neville Longbottom, Perrier noticed, appeared melancholy as he spoke lowly with Ron and Ginny whilst Harry, once again, kept to himself.

"It cannot remain this way much longer," Perrier harshly whispered to Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, the two Professors he had found himself in the presence of these days.

The two professors only nodded in response, all of them, including Snape, felt the need to rescue the silver-blonde haired Gryffindor from Voldemort's clutches. Snape, despite his snarky attitude, knew that Serenity Moon did not deserve it. She was not like the other students; the girl held no outright hatred for the others and treated everyone equally and respectfully.

"Headmaster, please allow me to accompany Professor Snape," Professor Flamel stressed out, but was once more denied of the change.

"We must not do things so rashly, Perrier," Dumbledore firmly held his resolve, causing several of the professors to shake their heads in dismay; it was obvious that more and more professors felt that the Headmaster did not make the correct decision.

"You know what's happening with her," Perrier Flamel harshly reprimanded the Headmaster, "What do you really intend to have happen?"

Flamel's emerald green eyes were fiery and determined. He knew that in some cases this would not be a wise move to make, but their days were numbered. Soon the school would be unable to cover up the fact that a student was missing, possibly taken by Lord Voldemort. Not only for that reason was he behaving so irrationally, but also because his past self was growing more agitated, he felt the need to do something, anything to get his princess back.

"To rush into this matter would be unnecessary," Dumbledore sighed and turned so as to stare at the younger man right in the eyes.

For a brief second, Flamel wanted to back away, the Headmaster's aura seemed to radiate with a calm radiance that made him want to believe the old man. However, it only lasted for just that long, a second, before Flamel retaliated. With a steel resolve, Perrier Flamel rose up from his seat, towering over the old man and glared.

"I have waited long enough, Headmaster," Perrier began, "_She_ has waited long and so have the others."

Without another word, Perrier Flamel left the Great Hall and a hush suddenly fell over the room before broken whispering erupted all at once. The students, the Aurors, nor the staff members missed the tense atmosphere that radiated between the Headmaster and his Defense Professor. Only those on the staff table knew the exchange that occurred, though none were willing to tell.

Amongst the students, one student had a pretty good guess as to what happened. He could tell from the looks on his godfather's face that it had something to do with the Dark Lord. And if he was correct, that would mean that the Defense Professor was speaking to the Headmaster about a certain Gryffindor cub.

Nodding once to Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy rose from his seat and left the Great Hall, intending to corner the long white haired man. By the time Draco found him, his Professor was pacing inside his office, apparently lost in thought.

"If you're planning on rescuing Moon like that, she's doomed," Draco drawled, folding his arms in front of him, a sneer on his face.

Professor Flamel looked up, surprised to see Draco Malfoy in front of him and stopped pacing. Immediately, his worry and surprise faded away to be replaced with indifference and an air of authority.

"How may I help you, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Pacing around and worrying will not get Moon back," Draco began, slipping away from the entrance of the doorway. Taking his wand out, he casually cast the necessary wards around the office and was pleased to note that there was not one portrait within the Defense Professor's office.

"Instead of _you_ helping me, Professor, it's the other way around."

Draco looked into the Flamel's emerald eyes, displaying his sincerity and stretched out his hand. Perrier Flamel took a few seconds, cautious as he studied the young sixth year before nodding.

Arms outstretched, two hands met and firmly shook. An offer was made and accepted, and an alliance was formed.

To be continued…

""""""""""""""""

Boxing Day is, according to a few sources, on the 27th of December.

As for Serenity, here's what's going on...

In the first day it was mostly just the Cruciatus and other horrible tortures…you can guess what happened after that... I'm not writing the details of what happens in Serenity's captivity… you can just come up with it in your own mind. And so, that's why the rating went up.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Needed

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

Modified: November 9, 2008.

"""""""""""

Three days of careful planning, stolen articles, designed alibis and arrangements have been made. Three days of practice and meetings done in secret behind closed doors and darkened corridors.

The two schemers had worked closely for the past three days, but both understood that time was running out. Classes will resume in less than five days, and the students will return in four.

Therefore, Flamel and Draco Malfoy found themselves standing in another darkened corridor where no portraits could see or hear them interact. It had been pre-arranged that Severus Snape would summon them when the Dark Mark burned. Thus, they were waiting for the Potions Master to arrive in order to take Perrier Flamel with him to the Dark Lord's domain.

At first, Snape had refused to aide them but with persuasion and the fact that Draco Malfoy was the man's godson, he had grudgingly agreed save for a few conditions. The first two had already been fulfilled: Snape will be the one to contact them and for Flamel to dress as a Death Eater to drive off a few suspicious Followers. Draco helped with the clothing and the mannerisms behind each Death Eater. This assured them that if Flamel was stopped, he would know how to react accordingly.

The most difficult part in the dressing was the Dark Mark, but thankfully Blaise Zabini, had been able to help. Zabini was gifted in the art of Runes and arcane spells; the Dark Mark that now glowed beneath Flamel's dark robes would last approximately 2.5 days before fading away. It had enough Dark Magic to pass as an actual mark but it would not work should the Dark Lord try and summon Perrier Flamel like his other Death Eaters.

"It's already 2am," Draco murmured beside the robed Defense Professor.

"Indeed it is, Mr. Malfoy," Snape strolled down the corridor, his black robes billowing to an invisible wind.

"Professor Snape," Draco addressed his favorite professor and beloved godfather.

"Professor," Flamel nodded once before concealing his face with the infamous Death Eater Mask.

"I presume that you are here to ensure that all goes according to plan, Draco?" Snape turned to address the white-blond haired Slytherin, placing his own mask in place.

"Of course, sir," Draco drawled and then turned to Flamel, "And to hand this to you."

Flamel took the proffered item and quizzically looked at it. At first it appeared to be nothing more than a simple ring, a plain silver band with an intricate but nondescript design. Peering closely, he noticed that aside from the ordinary drawings nothing else was there.

"If our initial plan does not work, Professor, I want you to do all you can to give her that ring," Draco stated, "Tell her that it is from me."

Flamel only nodded in understanding before pocketing the plain looking ring and thought about Draco's words, not quite sure what to make of it.

"A portkey?" Flamel guessed aloud and saw the smirk that appeared over the young Slytherin's face, "Why not just say the spell to activate it?"

"It's a specialized portkey," Draco began and from the corner of Flamel's eye he noticed that Snape was trying to curb his impatience, the Dark Mark should be quite painful by now, "You can only say the word _once_. I may have been the one to help with the activation word, but to say it again will make the portkey useless."

Flamel accepted the reasoning behind the young wizard's words.

"Good luck," Draco uttered, watching the two men step close to one another before disappearing altogether in the dark corridor.

(There's nothing else I can do except wait.) Draco thought to himself, staring at the spot where he last saw his two Professors.

With a small sigh, Draco Malfoy cast the Disillusionment Charm over himself and made the slow trek toward the Slytherin Dungeons. Blaise Zabini would wait for him and coerce a seemingly normal conversation out of him; it wouldn't do to have Draco Malfoy act unlike himself.

"""""""""""""

That fateful night, Perrier Flamel left with Severus Snape for the Dark Lord's domain. Their arrival had not been as memorable as one would presume. The Potions Master simply sneered at the Defense Professor and strongly _advised_ him to not get caught, before leaving the man to his own devices. Not one to stay in one place for long in such a dreary and confusing stronghold, Flamel had wandered the place trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. His only thought since his arrival, being '_Do not get caught; find Serenity, and get out of there as fast as possible.'_

Now a day later, Perrier Flamel had done quite well for himself. Only a few Death Eaters had stopped him in his quest to find the teenager. During those times, they had only asked him fleeting questions before sending him on his merry way. The first time had been terrifying for the Defense Professor; he had believed that he would surely get caught, but the drilling that the young Malfoy heir had placed on him have proven to be a valuable commodity. However, as much as Flamel was wonderful at playing Death Eater, his findings on trying to discover the girl's whereabouts had proven to be useless. Although Draco Malfoy had his assumptions on where Serenity resided in the fortress, they were nothing more than ideas that have not come to fruition.

(Serenity, where could you be?) Flamel thought to himself for the nth time.

He had searched day and night, not daring to stop to rest in fear that he may be found out. Although many would probably have given up by now, being surrounded by hundreds of Death Eaters, Perrier Flamel would not. He had come to care for the girl that his past self had sworn to serve and protect, and he was determined to return her where she belonged – at Hogwarts.

(Selene, please help me!) Flamel shouted inside his head, turning down another corridor.

"""""""""""

Snape scowled from behind his mask as he watched the Death Eaters gather around him, more were coming through the door until, finally, the doors firmly closed shut with a resounding 'bang.' To his sides he could feel a few of them shift nervously and momentarily sneered, knowing full well that he just happened to have found himself next to new recruits.

He arrived yesterday morning, and he had yet to return to the school. The Dark Lord had wanted him present to help with an upcoming ritual set to begin in a few short moments. And, much to his disgust, the ritual would involve the Dark Lord's _precious_ doll, as he called Serenity Moon. Yesterday, the Dark Lord had led him to one of his private labs and requested several potions to be made. They were complex and quite arcane, ones that Severus Snape had yet to hear about and briefly wondered where and how the Dark Lord had managed to receive such ancient documents. Just as those thoughts wandered through his mind, he figured it out – it was Chaos's doing, the fragment that Flamel had informed them, and the one that had fused itself into the Dark Lord's body, soul, and mind. With such an ancient God possessing the Dark Wizard, it was no wonder that he managed to retrieve such ancient and old parchments as those potions.

Only when Severus Snape had finished bottling up the last potion did he think of the repercussions of what he had just done. These potions would be used, not simply for academic causes, but for notorious deeds; they would be used for harm, rather than good and he had just taken part of it. Severus Snape, at that moment in time, felt suddenly nauseous. All his previous performances had been nothing, he didn't care about those victims, they were simply empty faces and bodies. And when he did see someone he momentarily knew at one point or another, again, he held a cold face and heart, because he did not _care_.

However, Serenity Moon was different – in the few short months he knew the girl he came to respect her determined mind and kind nature. As he reminded himself back in the Headmaster's office, Serenity Moon was different from the other students. She held no ill intentions for the other students and was willing to treat everyone equally; she was not biased and idiotic as his other Potions students. So when he saw those vials and recalled what they would accomplish, he felt repulsed by his own doing.

Here he was now, amongst his fellow colleagues while waiting for their enamored Dark Lord to speak. Many had no idea what the Dark Lord had in mind, but a few had an idea due to the signal of what tonight meant. It was well-known amongst his Death Eaters that Lord Voldemort enjoyed days where it held significant meanings. It was a reason why his First Rise had been held sometime in the Autumn Equinox. And why he chose to attack the Potters on Halloween.

"Tonight marks the end of an era but the birth of a new beginning," Voldemort spoke aloud as he stood amongst his Followers, "Tonight, the ritual that has been done twelve nights before shall be repeated. But, this time, more power shall be granted upon us. Of this, I promise."

A roar of approval cried throughout the crowd, and Severus Snape joined them. When the applause fell back into silence, the Dark Lord turned his crimson eyes toward the door and Snape felt numbness course through his limbs, a feeling of cold wove, and a sense of horror gripped his heart. He recognized this feeling and repressed the need to shudder: Dementors had arrived.

"Fetch _her_," Voldemort coldly commanded, radiating an aura that sent some of the new recruits stumbling back, others to nervously shift, and the rest go rigid, falling into absolute silence.

For Snape and his Inner Circle, the power that the Dark Lord held above them only made them repress the need to bow low to the ground and worship the very ground that he stood on. His power was what drew several Death Eaters to him like a swarm of locusts, it was dark and enticing, and it was the power that you could only hope for but never grasp. Now, it appeared that the Dark Lord was finally going to keep his word about receiving a great deal of power. The first time around had been addicting and Snape had almost turned his back on the Light side, _almost_. Now he knew that if he received another dose of that indescribable feeling of power coursing through his veins, Snape would be close to breaking from his job as a spy.

But watching the Dementors leave the chambers, recalling one of his students and what had been done to her, Severus Snape had stopped himself and held onto his resolve. As much as he craved for knowledge and power, as much as he detested half-breeds, muggles, and mudbloods, he had no desire to completely destroy them.

(Flamel, you better not let that girl down.) Snape snarled inside his mind.

""""""""""""

Perrier Flamel had been a bit paranoid when he suddenly felt a shift in the air. The corridors he had walked down on, had fallen into silence, and not a sound could be heard for several yards. He _knew_ that this corridor usually housed at least a few Death Eater, he had been down this hallway once before. But now, there was nothing but an unnerving atmosphere.

(What's going on?) Flamel mused to himself; he had long since taken his wand out, not wanting to be caught off-guard.

Then a cold chill swept the air, encasing his body, and for a brief moment he felt as if he had been submerged into nothing but ice water. He knew that sensation of cold, of numbness, and as that chill became increasingly colder, the happiness drained away from his body.

(Dementors!) Flamel inwardly growled, narrowing his emerald green eyes toward the source.

Shadows fell over the corridor, the walls themselves blanketing into darkness and ice began to form over the edges. Afterwards, two Dementors came with a figure hanging between the two of them, seemingly unaware of where he or she currently was. As they drew closer with their charge, Flamel sucked in a breath when he realized just _who_ the person is.

Serenity dangled mercilessly between the two Dementors, her head bent down, legs dragged unceremoniously on the cold, stone ground, her hair in disarray, and her skin so pale that it was hard to believe that she could even possibly be alive. She was nothing more than a shell, a doll. And the sight of her made Perrier Flamel cringe, shout, and cry all at once. A great burden of helplessness settled in the pit of his stomach, and he found it hard to swallow.

(I can't possibly save her with two Dementors around, if I take her then and there, they'll surely come after us. And at her state, it will be almost impossible. The Polyjuice Potions I have in my pocket can't help her if she's not herself. I have no spare robes, as well.) Flamel frowned to himself, recalling the plan that Draco Malfoy and himself had prepared. (It would seem that the ring will come in handy at this moment… it's pretty risky and there's a slim chance that she may not even understand my words. Not the way she is now…)

The Dementors were even closer now, and as Flamel saw Serenity lift her head just slightly and saw the dead look in her eyes, Flamel immediately knew what he had to do. Digging into his robes, he fished for the ring and with grim determination took away his mask and perched himself right in front of the two Dementors.

Seeing the Dementors unnerved him, he always found them to be intimidating and never cared much for the Dark Creatures. The thought of such a creature that could suck your soul out of you was disgusting, and he briefly wondered how they even came to existence. His research into them had come to nothing, all the information he could find only came with the same results: they just came to _be_.

Steeling his nerves, Perrier Flamel dismissed his earlier notions about the Dark Creatures and focused only on Serenity Moon. Marching forward, he ignored the hovering creatures' wispy breaths and upraised arms. With only a small thought, Flamel cast a flimsy Patronis, it wouldn't dispel the creatures as they only drew them back. Hopefully, it would be enough time to give Serenity the ring and the whispered words that Malfoy told him to say.

With quick reflexes, Flamel took Serenity's hand and saw her slowly and hazily stare at him. For a brief second Perrier saw the look of surprise and faint hope ignite in her eyes before dying away again.

(She must think I'm nothing more than a figment of her imagination.) Perrier sadly thought to himself.

Putting the ring in her hand, he closed her palms together to ensure that the ring was safely in her possession and then moved closer to her ear.

"I would have saved you from this fate, if I could, Serenity. However, there is no time right now," Flamel hurriedly whispered to her ear, "All I can do now is give this to you and a few words. Draco Malfoy told me to give this and say that you should know the words. I can only pray that you remember…"

And just like that, Perrier Flamel was thrown back with a great force by the two Dementors and at the sight of their now menacing figures; Flamel didn't wait to see what happened. He picked himself up, took one last glance at Serenity before turning himself into his Animagus form. With a small mewl, Perrier Artemus Flamel scurried away, hoping that Serenity knew how to activate the portkey and get away.

(Selene, please protect her!)

""""""""""""

When Serenity first saw Perrier Flamel's face hover over her own, she almost thought that she was saved. However that thought was squashed away, tucked in the back of her mind. The very thought of escaping this place was now almost nonexistent, only the tangible belief that someday she will die was the only thought she allowed herself to dream about. Life held no meaning for her, not in this place, and hope was nothing more than a fanciful dream. To dream in the Dark Lord's domain is almost laughable.

So when Serenity saw her old Defense Professor's face, she felt the familiar tingling of hope rise in the back of her mind, but she threw that thought back because she _knew_ there could not possibly be any hope left for her. If Flamel really was here to save her it was suicidal.

(Save yourself.) Serenity thought in the back of her mind, knowing that the white-haired man was being irrational.

However, the young man just would not give up. Before Serenity could cast the man away, and allow herself to revert back into her shell, Flamel had thrust something in her hand and whispered odd, confusing words into her ear. And just as suddenly he came into her life, he disappeared, leaving her with the Dementors once again.

Now, hearing the doors bang open, the rustle of robes and the unearthly silence, Serenity faintly wondered what Flamel's words meant but it escaped her mind when the Dementors drew her above a dais and let her collapse in front of the Dark Lord. She repressed the will to shudder in his presence; she wanted to claw her way out of the room but knew it was futile. If the Dark Lord wanted her presence, he would have it willingly or not.

"Arise, my dear," Voldemort's silky sweet voice resounded over the dark chamber and Serenity felt herself rise, no longer modest with her appearance. There was no need to care, if she no longer held any feelings aside from the fear she felt when Voldemort approached her with those lust-filled eyes.

Behind her, she could faintly hear the twitters of his supporters and hear a few stray comments about her naked torso. Again, no emotion held her aside from indifference.

Voldemort drew closer and began stroking her hair before falling on her pale, cold cheek.

"Beautiful as always," Voldemort murmured, his crimson eyes roving over her body before cupping her cheek and drawing her closer, "You will make a wonderful medium for the ritual."

Briefly, so brief that no one save herself would notice, Serenity felt a surge of horror at the thought of being used for a dark purpose. However, that feeling died when she recalled that she had already been broken and used enough not to care. Voldemort had informed her at one point that she had been a medium when she arrived that first night. He never specified what happened, but she was told that she had proven to be very useful for him.

Now, it seemed that she would be needed once again.

"Let the ritual commence!" Voldemort roared through the chamber and at his words the dais rose up, higher and higher. The ceiling parted overhead and Serenity briefly noted that the throne was no longer there, instead it had transformed into a sacrificial alter.

The heavens above were pitch black dotted with bright stars, and as Serenity stared upward, a small twinge of sadness entered her broken heart that there would be no moon tonight.

"Normally, there should be a Full Moon on this night," Voldemort commented whilst shedding his dark robes to reveal his pale skin, "It is obvious that tonight shall be different. The New Moon shall be our guide, and the dark powers of Chaos shall be my aide, with you as the medium to channel _his_ power."

Serenity only continued to stare at the bright stars and felt an irrepressible need to do _something_, but what? There was nothing that she needed to be concerned with anymore; it wasn't like she could escape from this horrid place. Her only chance at a rescue had escaped from the Dementors, the hope she held had died days ago, and the only thing she had left now was…

(…a ring.) Serenity dimly took that moment to stare at her fisted right hand and her looks darkened in remembrance.

The ring was given to her right before Flamel transformed into his cat form and fled. The ring that was given to Flamel by the one person she truly believed that she had _fallen_ for. She had fallen, but not in the way that she would have liked to. Instead of the endless amount of love that believed she would have received from that person, Serenity received torment and betrayal. And to receive a ring that came from _Draco Malfoy_, how could she rely on that to save her?

(…'you should know the words'… what does he mean by that?) Serenity lightly mused and felt herself be guided to lie down on the sacrificial alter.

Potions were poured down her throat and thrown over her body. Intense fire raced over every pore of skin, her veins, and her very soul. A silent scream erupted from her mouth, until her exhausted body simply froze and laid still.

Tears freely fled down her bleary eyes, she saw the Dark Lord's form loom closely over hers. An unknown object was settled just below her collar bone and then a spell enchanted. The weight of the unidentifiable object unnerved her; she had no idea what it could be and she _knew_ that if she did anything to anger or provoke the Dark Lord, she would pay for her _foolhardy_ ways.

Serenity mentally winced as she recalled her earlier days whilst in his presence.

A cold surge of power suddenly erupted through the chamber and Serenity felt her nerves quiver. Something had been summoned just then and she knew what it was, she _felt_ it. The details she read about this particular creature had been researched with severe determination: it was a lich.

A shudder of fear jolted through her body and she wondered if the lich came to drain her like it did with the other students.

"Hold her," Voldemort's voice coldly commanded the Dark Creature and Serenity felt a distinct coldness unnaturally emanate from the object below her throat before the lich drifted close by. Cold, bony hands held her firmly in place.

Chanting could now be heard in the dark, a surge of power tingled in the night air, and the Dark Lord now held a dispassionate face, never faltering as he continued with his incantation. He slowly paced his way forward and gripped an intricate silver dagger in his right hand, his red eyes flashing momentarily before he held it high into the air.

With quick, precise movement the dagger slashed over her stomach, blood flowed out and the Dark Lord continued with his words, never pausing, before he turned his attention away from her abdomen and to her wrists, just like before the blade made contact her skin.

Red, crimson drops poured out like endless water.

A cold wind blew through her tresses. Ignoring the cold, the numbness of her limbs, and the weak feeling she felt overcome her, she weakly fisted her hands. She could almost feel the ring that remained imbedded in the palm of her hand. Before she could lose herself into the overwhelming sensation of needing to fall asleep, her energy and life slipping away, she remembered something like a distant memory from her past.

_::: Flashback:::_

"_What are we Malfoy?" Serenity breathlessly asked at one point, staring after the smirking Slytherin._

_The smirk slowly transformed into the faux façade that he normally wore, indifferent to the pain that unknowingly clutched her heart._

"_It's just a kiss," Malfoy restated, quirking his delicate eyebrow upward, "Don't think that there is anything more than that."_

_:: End::_

(Malfoy…what do you want from me?) Serenity faintly murmured inside her mind, feeling her eyes slowly drift shut. She felt lethargic, all she wanted to do now was to sleep and never wake up. (Why give me this ring…what words?)

(All you ever told me, every time… was…) Serenity continued and felt her mouth open, a small sigh escaping her lips.

"…just…a…kiss," Serenity whispered so soft that anyone would have passed it off as nothing more than an incomprehensible murmur.

And as those words escaped her supple lips, a familiar tug was felt in her navel.

The whispered command was all that the ring needed, before the portkey activated itself, sending the silvery-blond haired teenager to another location.

In the teenager's wake, the Dark Lord screamed in fury. The ritual was incomplete, the power that was beginning to form dissipated, and nothing was left.

The stone that he had placed on her was gone.

The lich had left.

And the girl had taken them with her.

"GO!" the Dark Lord, in his fury, roared to the Death Eaters down below, his crimson eyes flashing, his power soaring over the mass.

"Find her; bring her back!" the Dark Lord shouted and turned back around, looking at the pool of blood that she had left in place.

He knew that the ritual was incomplete, that it could not be repeated should he have failed. It was the reason for his ire, but he still could have some use for her. Not only was she powerful, in this life and her past, but she had the _stone_. She may not know it yet, but in time she should figure it out. That the stone she had taken with her controlled the lich that had been with her in her departure.

"I want her brought back, and when she returns… she will understand the true meaning as to why they fear my name," Voldemort hissed.

""""""""""""

A flash of light and a small pop resounded in the edge of the Forbidden Forest. As the sound faded, two figures appeared. A fallen girl and a tall, looming figure draped in black. Seconds passed and in those seconds nothing moved, no sound echoed aside from the ragged breaths originating from the fallen girl.

A sudden gust of wind suddenly billowed and the girl subconsciously shivered. This brought the attention of the looming figure swathed in black who turned its attention on the girl. It hovered over her and stretched its long, bony hands toward the girl before pausing just above her throat. There, just below the pale girl's throat laid a pendant in the shape of a black opal. From the item, an intense surge of magic appeared to emanate, causing the creature to pause until it came out of its reverie and started to grasp the pendant.

However, its intention was disrupted when a loud screech echoed through the Forest, surprising the creature – the lich, who looked with its empty eye sockets toward the sound. It straightened its body up, focusing its attention and began to channel an unknown spell. The aura around the lich intensified, crackling the ground and a stench of death and decay overran the lich's surrounding vicinity. The unconscious, shivering girl began to writhe due to its power and soon whimpers escaped her now-almost bluish lips. The blood that seeped from her wounds intensified and overran onto the ground below.

Another loud screech, this time much closer, and before long a flash of flames appeared overhead. Looking up, the lich began moving its bony hands together in intricate patterns, its mouth opened and dark, misty purple-black streams appeared and began an ascent toward the inferno. As the flames disappeared a phoenix hovered in its place, and with a loud screech began flapping its wings in earnest, beginning a descent towards the lich. The lich roared before chanting faster, its hands fashioning themselves in rapid-speed that could not possibly be done by a normal human. A blood-red orb now appeared and shot itself toward the Phoenix who simply opened its mouth and countered with red and gold flames. The two collided and all around them, bursts of flames appeared hitting the trees nearby. Thankfully, none of the fire reached the unconscious girl nearby.

Minutes seemed to pass, though in fact it was only a grand total of 45 seconds before the fight between the two creatures ended. The lich, although formidable in nature and feared by many, had lost to the Light creature and fled. Though determined to win against the vile beast, the lich could not challenge the creature when it began to cry its Phoenix Song. The Phoenix Song had waned and twittered, sending anyone's faltered hope to soar once again, to brighten anyone's day. To face against such foul melodious notes were staggering for the lich when not prepared; therefore the lich forced itself to flee. He would return after careful preparations and he would not be caught off-guard again. He would visit the school, but this time with the knowledge that the phylactery is not with the demi-god but with the _girl_, the girl with silvery-blond hair.

After the lich left the vicinity, the Phoenix twittered softly and fixed its black eyes toward the shivering girl and flew towards her, perching itself nearby. With a cock of its head, it observed her and noticed the wounds. Unbelievable dread filled the phoenix and tears began to formulate before dripping endlessly down its face. Stepping closer, the phoenix dipped its head over the wounds over her abdomen and let the tears fall. One by one, teardrops fell over the wound and slowly began to heal her. Stepping back, it paused to observe her, and noticed that the wound had not all-together healed, but at least it was no longer fatal. Then the phoenix noticed the girl's wrists and moved closer, tears fell over one hand then it hopped over to the other wrist and repeated the process. This time, the gash closed and the blood stopped.

With a small chirrup, the phoenix fluttered closely and began to channel Phoenix fire before beginning a slow, melodious, and comforting lilt. With Phoenix fire, the flames would warm the girl and offer comfort; with Phoenix Song the girl would mentally heal and have the knowledge that she was not alone. After the battle with the lich, Fawkes had lost some of its strength and could only offer the small comfort and protection he currently had, or else he would simply have carried the girl back to where she belonged: Hogwarts. With time, she would awaken and make her way up to the only place where her kind would truly help her. But for now, the Phoenix known as Fawkes, would keep her company and protect her.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""""

Well there you go Serenity is back more or less. This chapter was a bit staggering and aggravating to create. I had to delete and re-type this chapter several times before finally settling with this piece.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Needed

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them.

Modified: November 9, 2008.

"""""""""""

Severus Snape had seen the anger radiate around the Dark Lord, and had wasted no time in leaving in favor of activating the Portkey that the Headmaster had given him. He had seen the girl disappear, and knew that she should be at the school, if not, close by to get the help she needs. Upon activation he had disappeared only to reappear in the Headmaster's office.

With a swift glance around the oval room, and the knowledge that the Headmaster was not inside, he stalked out and hurriedly made his way to the only place that came to mind.

(Surely the girl has been found and brought to the Hospital Wing.) Severus assuredly told himself and was soon inside the Hospital Wing.

However, with one quick glance within the room and at the sight of Madame Pomfrey, he knew that his original thoughts had been laid wasted.

"Severus, do you need something? You look deathly pale and ragged," the school nurse began to fuss, making her way to her potions cabinet, no doubt to retrieve a Pepper-Up potion.

"Not at the moment, Madame Pomfrey. Tell me, has there been any news of Ms. Moon?" Snape inquired, not able to hold back the sneer that appeared over his face.

"No; has there been a rescue? Is she here?" Madame Pomfrey slowly came to grasp at the implications that Snape had just informed her, and lapsed into silence before babbling about the potions she may need to help the poor girl.

Ignoring her incessant squabbling, the Potions Master gave a curt nod towards the oblivious Healer and turned back around. He had no more need to be in the Hospital Wing, with no information that he could use to find the girl; he felt the need to perhaps take a look inside the Great Hall. He knew that she could not possibly be in there, but he still felt it necessary to check… And to see if that damned Perrier Flamel had returned. He had received no news of him since their parting and wondered if he still lived.

(No, of course he is alright… he has lived long enough to part with the portkey to give the girl.) Snape assured himself.

""""""""""""

Comfort and warmth greeted Serenity, it was a nice change to the unease she felt inside her soul every morning since her capture. And as she stirred from her slumber, something finally dawned on her mind – she wasn't in her chambers.

Bolting upright, her crystalline blue eyes widened in shock as she took in the darkness. The normal bedding that was beneath her was now nothing but soil; the walls of her chamber were trees and a long breadth of grass and dirt; the ceiling that she had stared at every morning, evening, and night was the vast expanse of the night sky. For several seconds that soon dwindled to minutes, she stared at her surroundings, taking these new sensations all at once

"Is this…real?" Serenity finally broke the silence, her hands moving of their own accord as she tried to grasp the situation, as if by her hands alone she could ensure that all of this was actually real and not a dream, or an illusion cast by Voldemort or any of his Death Eaters.

Serenity fell into silence, trying to recall her last bits of memory. She felt pain, the coldness, and then… she had whispered a few words just before her eyes fell shut.

(The ring that Dra-Malfoy had given me was a portkey.) Serenity realized and felt her heart clench in realization, but refused to dwell on the topic as she returned to looking at her surrounding area.

A flurry of feathers could be heard and, turning her head, her eyes widened in surprised at the discovery of not being alone. Right beside her was Fawkes the Phoenix from the Headmaster's office. The avian trilled in greeting before coming closer and burst into song, soothing the anxiety and fear that she did not know had dwelled in her heart. Slowly, peacefully, Serenity fell into slumber.

""""""""""

Nearby, a white cat with emerald green eyes and an upturned crescent moon on its forehead quickly skittered up a familiar path heading towards the only location in its mind: Hogwarts.

Its green eyes flashed in impatience and urgency. For you see the cat was not any normal domesticated animal, but an Animagus. Although the feline was fast approaching the looming castle, it slowed down when green eyes caught something in the edge of his vision. Slowing down, the white Animagus turned around and began making its way albeit cautiously toward the section where he saw the strange sight.

Just over a narrow ridge was a… bonfire? No, it wasn't a bonfire but a bird emitting flames. This gave the Animagus pause before summoning enough courage to investigate the matter more closely, and as he crept closer, he discovered that the bird – no, the phoenix – was not alone. Right beside the fire phoenix laid an unconscious young woman.

"Serenity," the Animagus whispered aloud, which would have sounded quite odd to a passerby, even to a wizard or witch. But such was the power that emitted from the crescent moon that lay on the white cat's forehead; it gave the Animagus the ability to speak.

Changing back to his human form, Perrier Flamel came closer and drew the attention of the phoenix that simply chirruped softly before allowing the young man to approach the unconscious figure.

"Oh, Serenity, I'm so glad that you're alright," Perrier tenderly whispered, but narrowed his eyes when he saw specks of blood over her abdomen and down her wrists. Inspecting the wounds closer, he was relieved to find out that the she was still alright. He would simply need to get her to Madame Pomfrey to treat the wounds with Healing charms, a few Potions… and from what he could see; the girl will need a few bottles of Blood Replenishing potions.

With a grave yet relieved face, Perrier withdrew the wand he concealed in his robes and soon had the unconscious girl levitated in the air. Turning to Fawkes, he allowed himself a small smile of appreciation.

"Thank you for taking care of her, Fawkes," Flamel stated and turned around as he slowly made his way up the barren path that would soon lead to the castle itself. Behind him, the phoenix flapped its wings before taking flight, a trill disturbing the night air.

The one known as Serenity Moon whimpered slightly, feeling the warmth and comfort leave her. Subconsciously, she reached up and clasped the black opal that still remained below her throat.

""""""""""""

Somewhere along the way, Flamel had met up with Severus Snape who took one look at him before his charcoal black eyes rested on the girl behind him. With swift, precise movements the Potions Professor took off his cloak, draped it over the naked girl, and gave him a curt nod before turning away and heading over to the Great Hall. Perrier Flamel knew that the Potions Professor will be informing the Headmaster of the recent developments thus far.

Levitating the girl up the stairs to the fourth floor was an interesting experience. The way the school seemed to sense his urgency and responded accordingly – the normal 8 minute walk up the stairs had been reduced to 3 minutes, tops.

Once Perrier had gone through the threshold of the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey had all but pounced on him to get to Serenity. In lightning speed, the Healer had taken charge and placed the silvery-blond haired girl on the nearest available bed and gotten to work. After a few minutes of watching the witch, Perrier knew that he would not be needed and so had begun to leave, wanting to reassure the Professors in the Great Hall that she had safely made it to the Hospital Wing, and was currently being tended to by Madam Pomfrey.

(I just hope that everything will be fine…) Perrier sighed, taking one last glance at the fretful Madame Pomfrey before shutting the door firmly shut behind him.

""""""""""

When Perrier Flamel strode inside, silence immediately fell over the Great Hall. All conversations stopped and all heads turned to watch the white haired Defense Professor as he casually strode through the room and up the dais, giving a small smile to the watching eyes before he sat himself down in his usual seat. Wordlessly, he picked up his utensils and began to reach out for a delicious plate of beef steak when Perrier heard a murmur of dissent. Stopping himself, his emerald green eyes turned to the owner of the voice and smirked at Professor Vector.

"Is something the matter, Septima?" Perrier merrily asked and watched as the female Arithmancy Professor simply grumbled before turning her dark eyes, glaring daggers at him.

"You know what the matter is!" Septima Vector hissed, waving her fork towards him in an unkindly manner, something that the Defense Professor had yet to see.

"Oh, and what is it?" Perrier continued, now slicing into his beef as calmly as he could manage.

"Oh, stop it Perrier, what she wants to know – what we all want to know is… how is _she_?" Minerva McGonagall interrupted, admonishing the white haired man.

_:: Flashback::_

_Just moments ago, Severus Snape had walked in sans his cloak, which surprised most, if not all the occupants in the Great Hall. With as much grace as the Potions Professor could muster he had walked up to and murmured a few short words to the Headmaster. Within moments, the Headmaster's once grave face had lightened up and his shoulders had seemingly gone lax in a few short seconds. With a small smile, one that has not been seen for several days, Albus Dumbledore had risen up, causing a number of heads to turn and watched as he prepared for an announcement._

"_I have just received pleasant news that will rest all of your troubling minds," Dumbledore began, "First off, to welcome back Professor Severus Snape from his short trip."_

_This was met only with silence, as can be suspected. Not many had truly noticed the Potions Professor's departure and some of those that had, were not pleased with the announcement. Off to the side, a few students could be heard murmuring, 'and here I hoped that he had gone somewhere and died…'_

"_Secondly, to welcome back our Defense Instructor Professor Perrier Flamel from his short vacation whilst visiting a few family members."_

_This received a few cheers and applause from the students. Most of the students had already returned the day before, but not all. And, as always, several students had noticed something was amiss and began inquiring about it until… they came up with their own theories and speculations, all of which had something to do with the person in question: Serenity Moon. It was not difficult to pick on the fact that Serenity Moon was missing, and it had nothing to do with the possibility that she may have gone to visit someone or do something. _

_Mostly everyone in the school was aware that Serenity Moon no longer had a place to return to – claiming earlier in the year when she let slip that something had occurred to cause her to move so far away from her native land. Therefore, their speculations surrounded from Serenity having run away from the school to having died due to a chronic disease. And there were closer assumptions, such as Serenity having been abducted from the school to having been attacked by the lich and needing to be in St. Mungo's. _

"_Thirdly and this one shall, I believe, ease most of your minds," Dumbledore stated, "Serenity Moon has returned."_

_Deafening silence violated the room before one of the students began to whisper and soon the whole room broke into a roar of whispers and exclamations. The Aurors, too, had begun to wonder and speculate before finally turning their attention expectantly towards the Headmaster who had sat back down. There would be a lot of discussions tonight._

_:: End::_

Turning back to present matters, Professor McGonagall, amongst several staff members and the Aurors that hovered a little too closely to Perrier Flamel, stared expectantly at the white haired man.

"She… will be fine," Perrier carefully chose his words, not knowing himself how the Gryffindor in question really will be. Physically she should be alright, but mentally… that was another situation altogether.

"… That is expected," Professor Snape suddenly stated and turned his attention away from the conversation to return to his meal. The rest followed soon after whilst the Aurors themselves nodded to themselves before drifting away. Although Serenity Moon had returned, they still had another problem in their hands, one that concerned the Dark Creature that roamed the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts itself.

""""""""""""

Serenity tossed and turned on the unfamiliar bed. Her throat was parched, her eyelids felt heavy, and she had an unbelievable aftertaste in her mouth. It tasted like copper – no, blood – and one that was not hers. Mentally groaning, she forced her eyes to open and was faced with white sheets.

(That's… odd.) Serenity mused, feeling slightly sluggish.

For a few seconds she laid on the unfamiliar bed in the unfamiliar room, trying to process what had happened to cause her to be in such an alien site. That is, until she realized that this was not wholly foreign to her.

(Is this… the Hospital Wing?) Serenity was startled by the conclusion she came upon and proceeded to think of how that might be.

Gripping her hands tightly, she felt objects in the palm of her hands. Straining to move her limbs, Serenity raised both of her hands closer for inspection and opened them. Both items lightly fell onto her bed – a ring and a pendant. The pendant was unknown to the silvery-haired girl up until she recalled what happened to cause her to have left the Dark Lord's domain.

(This…isn't a dream, is it? I really am back…) Serenity realized and looked at the two objects. (Artemis gave the ring to me… Draco Malfoy had intentionally gone out of his way to _save_ me.)

This gave her pause in her musings, biting the bottom of her lip she continued to stare first at the ring and then to the pendant.

(I don't know what to expect from him anymore. I should thank him, but there is no chance that I can bring myself to forgive him for his betrayal.) Serenity reflected before slipping the ring into her hand, not wanting to think about the object. She would return the ring as soon as she can and then… not think about him or their awkward relationship.

(The pendant, however, it's not a normal object. The Dark Lord obviously had reason to place it on me for the ritual…) Serenity glared at the black opal (I'll need to keep it in my possession until I can fully understand what it is, and why it reeks with so much Dark magic.)

As she continued to stare at the pendant, her thoughts wandered to the ritual and the events that unfolded beforehand. Slowly her mind began to crumble, her eyes welled up with tears, and her body reacted instinctively to the images she began to relive, her body shaking. Serenity Moon began to openly sob, tears falling endlessly down her pale face, her hands clutching the two objects together close to her heart.

It was a few minutes later that Madame Pomfrey came by and saw the broken girl huddled on the bed, unable to stop the tears, and powerless to heal the broken soul of her heart and mind.

""""""""""""""

It was later that early Friday morning around 1:45am of New Year's Day that several Professors and students approached the Hospital Wing. The Headmaster had dismissed them to return back to their Common Rooms; they need not rest but there was no more need for them to remain in the Great Hall. Several students had protested, proclaiming that they wanted to know the condition of their peer but was refused by the Headmaster. The reason being that 'Ms. Moon needs her rest after her trip.'

Shortly after, the students were escorted back in groups with at least one Professor; the only ones to remain were the Head of Houses, the Defense Professor, and the adamant group of students close to Serenity Moon: Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Ron Weasley.

"Sir, may we see Serenity?" Ginny bluntly inquired and was awarded a long hard stare before giving consent in allowing the small group to accompany them to the Hospital Wing.

The long stretch of four flights of steps was spent in silence as each Professor and student was lost in thought and the endless possibilities of what they may face. Though the Defense Professor had assured the group that Serenity Moon was physically fine, that did not stop them to think that maybe the Defense Professor was wrong. And even if they did believe that Serenity was indeed physically fine, there was still the possibility that the teenager was mentally unstable.

After all, who knows what sorts of torture she had been placed under during her stay with the Dark Lord?

And so as they approached the familiar double doors of the Hospital Wing, several in their group had unknowingly held their breath in wait for the news to come.

The Headmaster was the first to approach the closed doors and after a few quick raps, he stepped aside and waited for the doors to swing open and admit them.

What he assuredly did not expect was for a tired Madame Pomfrey to slowly and silently open one of the doors and step outside to greet the group.

"How is she, Madame Pomfrey?" Perrier Flamel was the first to ask, his green eyes staring at the exhausted and frazzled nurse imploringly.

Looking at the arranged group, the Healer shook her head slowly once before turning to regard the Headmaster.

"Ms. Moon has woken up a few minutes ago. She is physically fine," Madame Pomfrey quietly informed them and then paused before taking out her wand and waved it over the group, "However, there are signs of rape and torture on the poor dear."

This earned startled gasps from the group of students and only silent acceptance from the gathered adults.

"Did you know about this, Headmaster?" Harry regarded the older wizard who turned to look at the raven haired boy before admitting to his inquiry. The look in the older wizard's eyes and the simple act of nodding his head was enough to anger the younger man. His emerald green eyes flashed in fury and for a moment, the windows began to rattle, the hallway began to turn cold, and his knuckles began to pale. However, before the young wizard could act on his anger, he was held back when his friends held him still.

"All this time, all this time they've been doing this to her and you just let it happen?!" Harry cried out.

"It was for the best," Dumbledore murmured.

"What would have happened if she stayed there with him?" Harry hissed, he had yet to truly calm down.

"But she has not, Mr. Potter," Flamel intervened, feeling the same way as he took this opportune time to glare at the Headmaster, "And you have Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape to thank for that."

Several gasps occurred from this revelation as all eyes turned to the Potions Master, the only one available for the group to stare at. The Potions Master simply sneered, shooting a disdainful glare at the Defense Instructor.

"It would seem that my advice had been taken lightly," Dumbledore lightly said, but others had noticed the underlying dark tone in his voice.

"With good reason, Headmaster," Snape was the one to intervene now, "The girl was to be used in a ritual _again_. If we had not interfered, the Dark Lord and his Followers would have risen to a greater height of power."

"A ritual?" Ginny croaked out, her eyes wide in fear, anticipation, and worry.

"I don't believe that now is a good time to discuss this matter, not with Ms. Moon in her condition," Dumbledore interrupted.

"We're warded against eavesdroppers and a silencing barrier, Headmaster, it's not like anyone will hear us," Harry snorted, not at all in the mood to play games after what he and his peers have just heard.

"Nonetheless, there is still the matter of knowing about Ms. Moon's condition," McGonagall sternly reprimanded her Gryffindors.

All eyes soon fell back onto the silent nurse who had remained in her position, wringing her hands together and casting a look back at the closed doors every few seconds.

"Thankfully enough, she is physically fine, but I believe it will take some time for her to emotionally heal. She has been through something that no witch or wizard should ever experience," Madame Pomfrey quietly informed them.

"May we see her, Madame Pomfrey?" Ginny murmured.

The nurse was silent for awhile as she thought about the innocent question until she made up her mind.

Pursing her lips together in a thin line, she shook her head, "It's best not to at this point in time. You'll see her come Monday when school resumes."

"W-What?!" "Wait!" Several students and staff members exclaimed aloud but were simply waved off by the stern Healer before she focused her attention at the Headmaster.

"I'm not certain why you would even think of not saving this child from that maniac, but I'll have you know that you're lucky that she's managed to even live! If something like this happens again, you'll have _me_ to deal with!" Madame Pomfrey warned, her brilliant eyes shining with an unknown anger. If they all thought that Madame Pomfrey was bad enough when you tried to escape from the Hospital Wing, her attitude right now towards the Headmaster was nothing!

"Of course, Poppy," the Headmaster nodded in understanding, appearing quite calm despite the Healer's firm words, but everyone noticed the small bead of sweat gathering at his temples.

Without another word, the stern woman turned back toward the double doors, opened one side and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"There is nothing more we can do here," the Headmaster simply stated, casting one last glance at the closed doors before moving away, heading toward his oval office.

"For now; we'll see her when school starts," Ginny agreed.

"I suppose," Harry glumly agreed, knowing that the school nurse may have warded the doors so that no one would enter, or magically spelled the coverings around the bed to seal shut, so even if he does manage to sneak in, he won't have a chance of seeing his friend, "But Headmaster, you owe us an explanation of what _exactly_ happened while Serenity was with Voldemort. You promised no secrets, you said that you would tell me what's going on from now on!"

"I suppose I do owe you…and your friends an explanation," the Headmaster consented and bade the others to follow him to his office.

The other Professors had excused themselves, the only ones following being Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flamel. As they approached the office, the Headmaster paused in his steps and turned to regard Professor Snape.

"I believe that young Draco Malfoy may want to hear this as well, Severus. He had taken part in the rescue, did he not?" Dumbledore inquired.

"He has," Flamel agreed, "He was the one to come up with the plan."

This startled the small group of Gryffindors, but no one said a word of protest. The Slytherin Head of House simply gave a nod of understanding and swiftly passed by the group, heading for what they assumed to be the way to the Slytherin Dungeons.

Soon after, all were settled in their offered chairs, silent and unmoving as they regarded the elderly wizard sitting across from all of them. Draco Malfoy had recently arrived, and had taken one glance at the group of wizards and witches, before settling himself between the Defense Professor and his godfather, not daring to say one single word.

"Very well, now that we are all gathered here it is only fair to begin," Dumbledore began, folding his hands firmly together.

"But in the end, I would like to hear your end of the story," Dumbledore turned to regard the three involved in the rescue of the Gryffindor transfer.

"Only if none of what we say is revealed outside of this room," Draco Malfoy said in return, sharp gray eyes regarding not only the Headmaster but the Gryffindors as well.

"Of course," Harry hastily stated, curious as to the exact reasoning and role that Draco Malfoy played in all of this.

"This should be interesting," Ron whispered by his side but was quickly quieted down by a sharp jab by Ginny.

"Twelve days ago," Dumbledore began, earning everyone's attention.

""""""""""""

To say that the students were angry with Dumbledore and Voldemort would be an understatement – they were not, angry, but livid. To think that Dumbledore had allowed their friend and classmate stay captive for the Dark Lord's pleasure and use for such a long time without aide! The Headmaster was willing to sacrifice one of his students, in order to keep his spy in the Dark Lord's service. Although many would have willingly aided Serenity Moon, by sneaking into the fortress itself, the Headmaster refused them of that chance. When the students heard the Headmaster's story and then Malfoy's with the input of Perrier Flamel, everyone had fallen into a lapse of silence.

The Gryffindors had quieted down due to disbelief and raging fury, while the others simply mulled over the information that they were given.

"…Father never told me what they were going to do with her," Draco finally murmured, attracting their attention, "If…I knew…"

"Would it have been less if they simply tortured her right before they killed her, Malfoy?" Ron dared to ask, his eyes glaring at the Slytherin.

Draco flinched at the redhead's words, knowing the answer. It wouldn't have made his terrible actions easier. What he had done to her was out of spite; it was immature, and the consequences have been deadly. He knew that he would pay for his actions.

"Ron, stop it," Harry clapped a hand down on his best friend's shoulder, "He's already guilty enough as it is."

Draco Malfoy unwillingly flinched as Harry's words struck him in the gut. It was true; he was guilty even if he didn't want to admit it aloud. He had risked himself of being exposed by willingly helping his Defense Instructor, by coming to his godfather, and by getting his friend involved with his recent actions.

"If you say anything about this, Potter…" Draco Malfoy mustered enough courage to face the green-eyed boy and stared at him in the eye, clearly showing his resolve.

"We already made that promise, Malfoy. We won't tell anyone about what happened in here," Harry stared right back, keeping his grip firm on his best friend's shoulder. In the background, Ginny and Neville remained quiet but Malfoy knew that they would keep to their word.

"Not even your…Mu," Draco began to say but stopped himself, he wasn't in some empty corridor but in the Headmaster's office, "Granger."

"What, but…" Ron began to protest but was held still, this time with Neville coming to his other side and placing a firm hand on the redhead's shoulder to keep him still.

"Not even Hermione," Neville spoke out, startling a few of the occupants in the room. It was now completely obvious that Longbottom had grown a backbone over the summer.

Draco Malfoy turned his attention away from Potter, scrutinizing Longbottom and was a bit amused to see that not once did Longbottom waver under his stare. Instead, the boy's dark eyes narrowed as he held his glare. With a sneer, Malfoy turned around and walked towards the exit of the room, not noticing that his Head of House was the first one out.

"If I catch word that even one of you told one of your friends about this, I'll deny it and then make sure that none of your bodies are found," Draco Malfoy called out, not looking back but paused when he neared the door, "And…don't think that this changes anything."

"I wouldn't dream of befriending you, Malfoy," Harry said in reply.

Malfoy simply snorted before going through the door.

"I still wonder, though," Ginny said after a moment's silence, "What made Malfoy do something like that to Serenity? And what made him feel guilty enough to approach a teacher and help? He never told us…"

"And I don't think he ever will," Flamel interrupted their musings, "Headmaster, Minerva, I will accompany them to their Common Room."

The Headmaster simply nodded his head in consent while Minerva battled with her subconscious, eventually allowing the Defense Professor to lead her Gryffindors out of the oval room. Sighing to herself, she cast one glance at the solemn man that she had once held in such high respect before shaking her head at him.

"Albus, your mistake had cost you greatly," Minerva let herself confess her thoughts to the old man, "We are only human, not Gods; we are not omnipresent. You cannot control or manipulate everyone and expect that they will all bow to your willpower."

The Headmaster bowed his head, listening to the woman's rant, taking to the lecture as a student would to a teacher or a child to his parent. The Headmaster understood her words and had paid for it dearly; he had already lost the respect of his students and soon, his staff members, if word had gotten around as to what _exactly_ happened.

Finally, after a few minutes of listening to Minerva McGonagall's lecture, the witch stopped after a furious sigh of exasperation. Subtly biting the bottom of her lip, Minerva McGonagall glared at the old wizard, threw her hands in the air and made her way to the door. Slightly turning around to face the still-bowed over old wizard, she gave a small shake of her head.

"I pray, Albus, that you will not make the same mistake as you had," Minerva whispered, suddenly feeling incredibly tired.

With that final sentence, Minerva McGonagall stepped out the door and firmly shut it behind her.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""""

If anyone is wondering, Draco's side of the story is glossed over. He told them that he and Moon had an argument awhile back that pissed him off. In retaliation, he contacted his Father, who in turn reported to Voldemort, about Serenity Moon and wanting to get back at her.

Childish, idiotic, and horrible but that is what Draco Malfoy informed them and confessed to. It was only after he truly reflected back on his wrongdoing and the awful guilt-ridden feelings of his that made him find a way in getting Serenity back, even at the risk of expulsion or a trip to Azkaban.

As you can guess, Draco Malfoy will not be facing expulsion or Azkaban. Nor will others be informed of the role that Draco Malfoy had taken in helping a Gryffindor out. Friendship is far from the Gryffindors' minds, due to the fact that Malfoy was the one who first had Serenity abducted… at most, they simply know that Malfoy actually knows what guilt is and that he has some sort of feelings in his cold heart.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Needed

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them, whatsoever.

Modified November 16, 2008.

"""""""""""""""

The days leading up to January 4 had been stressful at best. The Gryffindors, the few Slytherins who even had the guts to care, and the Professors had been dismayed that Madame Pomfrey would not let _anyone_ see the missing Gryffindor. A few students had even had tried to sneak in, only to find themselves caught by the unyielding nurse, and were either given detention or points taken from his/her House. Any Professor who attempted to see Serenity Moon were harshly reprimanded before sent on their way.

Harry Potter was normally seen wandering around the Fourth Floor Corridor every day, sometimes accompanied by his friends, but not once had dared to step foot through the threshold of the Hospital Wing. He knew the consequences; after all, he had heard and even witnessed a few of those events himself.

Despite his Gryffindor courage, Harry could not bring himself to risk a visit to see how Serenity was faring. His emotions had been churning; he could find himself fantasizing about their fateful encounter since her return. When faced with reality, his visualizations were nothing more than mere fancies. There was no way that he could find himself simply going up to Serenity and sweeping her off her feet. Merlin knew what happened the last time he found himself fantasizing about a girl! Just go back to his fifth year and a certain Ravenclaw by the name of Cho Chang.

Harry Potter had resigned himself to skulking the Fourth Floor Corridor, mumbling feeble excuses to any student or teacher that asked him as to why he was in that vicinity.

When Monday had finally arrived, all eyes were nervously trained on the door of the Great Hall for breakfast. Everyone expected for Serenity Moon to come through those doors, no matter what state she would be in. However, when the first bell chimed, signaling the start of morning classes, and the Gryffindor in question had not arrived, everyone began to wonder 'where was Serenity Moon?'

"""""""""""

"Well Ms. Moon, you're free to go," Madame Pomfrey informed her patient after letting the spell she had cast on her dissipate, "Your Herbology book and your bag have been delivered, as you have requested."

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," Serenity solemnly said in return, her once-bright crystalline blue eyes stared at the book bag.

Ever since her awakening in the Hospital Wing, she had a mental breakdown. It had taken several tries from the frantic nurse to calm her down enough to take a Calming Drought and when it had begun to wear off, Serenity had simply resumed her cries. This had been the pattern for several days for the stressful school nurse.

Serenity had only quieted down just yesterday afternoon, finally spent of her cries and tears of what had occurred in the Dark Lord's Domain. But even though Serenity had fallen into silence, Madame Pomfrey knew that she would still be haunted by the dreams and memories. It would be a long time before anyone in school would see the old Serenity Moon smile. And even longer for the girl to move on from this stage of her life.

Therefore when Madame Pomfrey had informed her earlier that day that Serenity would be resuming her studies, and may leave anytime she wished, it was no surprise to the school nurse that she had no wish to leave the school infirmary. In consequence, a compromise had been created and enacted.

Serenity would be stay in the infirmary up until her class began, with her necessary school supplies on hand, and in return, the school nurse would be free to check up on her current status without complaint and take the necessary potions. Seeing as Serenity only had this option on hand, not even bothering to dwell on the thought of facing the students so early in the day, the silvery-blond haired teenager complied.

Now that the time came for her first and only class of the day had arrived, Serenity found herself wishing that she could stay here – here, where no one would find her, here where she found herself in peace, here where no one save Madame Pomfrey would bother her. But she knew that she had to leave this little sanctuary sooner or later, life had to go on even if she wished that she didn't have to. She had… duties to uphold, a life to live, and a role that she had to play.

Internally Serenity winced at the thought that of her duties. She had spent the rest of yesterday up to today trying to forget her role in this world – intending to separate herself as far from the real world as she could. She had slept most of the day away. If she was awake, she would blankly stare at anything that she found remotely interesting – from the patches of dry wall to the ceiling over her head. What she spent her time whilst in Voldemort's lair; she had quickly applied in the Infirmary.

She shuddered at the thought of her imprisonment.

She was still afflicted by the simplest memories; she would curl up or flinch when someone closely approached or touched her, and more. Madame Pomfrey had tried to assure her that Voldemort nor the other Death Eaters would find her, but they held only empty words in her ear. After all, did she not find herself captured through the efforts of a lone boy who was associated to Death Eaters? She would be hard-pressed before finding herself so trusting the next time around.

"Ms. Moon, you should get going. Your class is about to start," Madame Pomfrey reminded her, her eyes assessing her current state as she shrugged on her school robe.

"Thank you, again, Madame Pomfrey for allowing me to stay here."

"It was no problem, my dear," Madame Pomfrey gave the still-vulnerable looking girl a reassuring smile.

Biting the bottom of her lip, Serenity cast a glance at the school nurse and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, "Madame, if I may ask you one small favor?"

Madame Pomfrey blinked in reply before nodding, curious as to the child's inquiry.

"After class, may I return here? I don't…feel safe as of yet," Serenity murmured, subdued, and uneasy as she unconsciously held her right arm protectively close to her chest.

Poppy Pomfrey's eyes widened at Serenity's words. It would seem that her recent capture had been worse off than she thought, though she should have considered such a possibility. To think that the Gryffindor would willingly want to spend her time _here_ rather than with her friends was unthinkable. Yet here the girl was, asking if it was fine with her to return back to the Hospital Wing after her first and only class of the day.

"Child, you simply cannot remain here for the rest of the term," Madame Pomfrey gently chided, carefully watching the young teenager's expression and was only met with resignation.

"I understand, Madame Pomfrey," Serenity morosely took her school bag and made her way to the entrance, biting the bottom of her lip as she shifted uneasily before finding the courage to grasp the handle of the double doors.

"You may, however, visit me. You are still recovering over your ordeal, so you may come to me should you feel the need to," Madame Pomfrey found herself saying, her words were true; the child needed to be attended to, and even though Serenity did not have the same thought in mind, this would settle as a nice compromise.

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," Serenity paused at the entrance of the Hospital Wing and turned around, a small smile finally curving her way over her lips.

It was the first smile that Poppy Pomfrey saw on the young girl's face since her arrival. And she couldn't help but smile in return.

"""""""""""""""

Herbology was not one of Serenity's strong suit, but she did not detest the class at all. In fact, she found the magical plants and herbs quite interesting, all thanks to her old friend and protector Kino Makoto. Her love for plants had not only helped her pass the OWLS with an Acceptable, but also aided her in her classes.

Any other day, Serenity would have happily journeyed outside, heading for her Herbology class and willing to undergo another lesson with Professor Sprout. Today was not just any other day for Serenity Moon. This was the first day of the new Semester; this was the first day of her return to school; this was the first time she was let out of the Hospital Wing, and the first time any of the students would see her since her return. And Serenity absolutely had no desire to face the populace.

Unfortunately, Serenity had no say in the case. She could have run away and hid in an obscure location, but someone would eventually find her, reprimand her, and punish her. She could have done a number of things to get away from going to her class, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was a Gryffindor, despite her shattered heart, mind, and soul. There were still areas about her that were still defiant, still brave, and still true – that is, if it wasn't anything entirely terrifying. And so, Serenity Moon found herself slowly yet assuredly approaching the Green house where lessons were being held.

"You can do this, just remember, baby steps," Serenity softly coached herself under her breath, and with a deep breath Serenity grasped the handle of the door and opened it.

And just like that, Serenity had resumed her place as a student in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

"""""""""""

Serenity could feel the eyes on her when she had entered Herbology. She could hear the murmur of whispers break out, see the way a few students held her under their gaze, a look of pity or sympathy on their faces; she felt as if she was a form of entertainment and she didn't like it one bit. So she simply kept her head bent down and shuffled her way pass them, taking a seat in an obscure corner of the Green house and waited until Professor Sprout continued with her lecture.

It was 90 minutes later when class was done that Serenity managed to escape the perils of the Green house. Not wanting to talk to anyone, Serenity stuffed all of her notes into her book bag, and all but ran outside, valiantly ignoring the sound of her peers.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Serenity quickly moved away from the Green house as she started her trek up to the castle. She had felt increasingly agitated and vulnerable around her classmates. It certainly didn't help when she heard them whisper and stare at her as if she was a strange specimen that needed to be examined. It was only Professor Sprout's sharp reprimand that the students had stopped their whispering, though that did not stop them from looking at her.

"Serenity!" Struggling not to let out an exasperated sigh, Serenity ignored the faint cries from behind her, it would seem that her quick exit did not deter her peers from calling out to her.

"Serenity!" Again Serenity pointedly ignored her classmates, and this time she quickened her pace as she clutched her book bag closer to her chest.

She recognized the owner of these set of voices but knew she couldn't – wouldn't face them, not now.

"Serenity, wait up!"

Biting the bottom of her lip, Serenity all but ran as she drew closer to the Entrance Hall and once inside had fled up the stairs, not waiting for her peers to catch up. As she rounded the stairs, she briefly caught sight of a lock of raven hair.

"""""""""""""

"Dear, you cannot hole yourself up here forever," clucked Madame Pomfrey, as she set around the room with her wand, fixing bed sheets and rearranging her Potions cabinets, noting which ones would need replacement.

"Can't I stay here a bit longer? Surely I don't need to be at the Great Hall…" Serenity implored, watching the school nurse scurry around the Hospital Wing.

At one point Serenity had offered her services; the school nurse had put up with her presence in the Hospital Wing and she wanted to thank the elderly woman in some way. However, instead of helping Madame Pomfrey, it had backfired and resulted in the witch all but casting a _Petrificas Totalus_ on the teenager. Thus both witches had come to an agreement that Serenity would simply sit tight while the elderly matron did her duties.

Casting a hard glare on the teenage Gryffindor, Madame Pomfrey replied, "I have kept you here long enough and you simply must learn to adapt yourself back into the school life."

Serenity's lips thinned as she turned her head to the side, refusing to meet the witch's eyes. She knew that what Madame Pomfrey said was true, she couldn't be expected to live out her school life in the Hospital Wing – sooner or later she would need to return back to a semblance of a regular student. Yet Serenity still could not adjust to the idea.

Just as Serenity summoned enough courage to speak up to the stern nurse, a knock came to the door, and with narrowed eyes Serenity watched as the school nurse promptly went forward to answer it. And with a mad dash, Serenity scrambled to the nearest infirmary bed and drew the hangings around to close her presence.

"Good day, Madame Pomfrey," a male voice greeted, "I noticed that Serenity Moon has not arrived for breakfast today, so I have taken it upon myself to make sure that she is at the Great Hall for lunch – that is, if you feel that she is well enough to go?"

(Oh Selene, please say no Madame Pomfrey…) Serenity squeezed her eyes shut and scrambled on the bed, beginning to huddle at the mere thought of going to the Great Hall where all those students, all those Professors, all those people would see her and watch her like a hawk.

(Why can't they just leave me alone?) Serenity bitterly thought, rocking back and forth on the now-rumpled bed.

The hangings around the bed drew open with a flourish as the two adults strode inside and both bore witness to a shaking Serenity Moon. The silvery-blond haired girl was shaking as she rocked back and forth, her eyes slightly glazed over and face pale. The sight was heart breaking, but both adults braced themselves as they tentatively stepped forward.

"My dear…" Madame Pomfrey began but stopped when the girl raised her head, her crystalline blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.

The girl, however, did not look at Madame Pomfrey but at the man beside her, at Perrier Artemus Flamel. With a broken voice and with tears that fell down her pale face, Serenity Moon spoke to the first person, other than Madame Pomfrey, for the first time.

"I don't want to face them, Artemis…"

Tears freely fell down and both adults felt their heart pour out for the girl. Without hesitation, the Defense Professor brought himself beside the distraught girl and pulled her into a hug much to the surprise of Madame Pomfrey. And it was more to her surprise that the girl had not flinched at all; of course the girl had frozen for a brief second but had quickly become accustomed to the man's presence. The elderly witch was certain that the girl would have reacted horribly to another's touch, even more since it was a _male_! Shock fled through the witch's senses as she bore witness to the strange event that unfolded itself before her. But instead of interrupting the strange moment, she instead remained tight-lipped and watched, curious as to what would transpire.

"Oh, Serenity," Perrier Flamel stroked Serenity's long mane of hair.

The girl remained silent, allowing the elderly male hold her close and welcomed his embrace. If it was any other person, she probably would have reacted harshly, but this was _Artemis_, the closest she had to her past and the only one she could possibly trust. He may not be the Artemis that she remembered, but this man inevitably possessed his past life's memories.

"You can't run away, Serenity, you know that," Perrier whispered into her ear as he continuously stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

"Artemis…" Serenity sniffed, applying pressure on his chest as she pushed away and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her robe.

"Please understand that the world cannot stop while you're still recovering from your captivity. Don't let _Him_ win," Perrier gently yet firmly told Serenity as he watched the silvery-haired teenager wipe away her tears.

"I _know_ that Artemis, I _understand_," Serenity bitterly stated, angry at herself not only because of what her old guardian reminded her about, but because of the tears that still continued to fall down her face – hadn't she cried _enough_?

"Then prove it," Perrier stated, his emerald green eyes hardening briefly as he stared at the girl before him. He knew that he was being harsh, asking Serenity to prove that she truly understood his words, but he had to know just how strong Serenity Moon really was.

"Mr. Flamel!" Madame Pomfrey gasped in shock, her lips thinning as her eyes narrowly focused on the white haired wizard, "You're going too far, Ms. Moon…"

"It's alright, Madame Pomfrey," Serenity barely whispered, clutching her robes tightly as she forced herself to stand up.

The two adults widened their eyes briefly as they stared, incredulously at the teenager. Just moments ago, she was cowering on the bed, crying in front of them and pleading with her eyes. Now they bore witness to this girl – no, this young woman who was struggling with herself to summon enough courage to face the masses. It was an incredible change.

"You're right, Artemis…I can't stay here forever. I know that, yet I still…" Serenity shook her head, it didn't matter what she said. Words were one things, but there was always that saying 'actions speak louder than words.' If she was to actually prove to Artemis, no – to the world that she is still herself, she would need to show it.

"One step at a time, Ms. Moon," Madame Pomfrey said, in an uncharacteristically soft tone of voice. Her eyes softened as they laid themselves on the struggling teenager, it would seem that the Defense Professor's words had gotten into her, and she was finally starting to move forward.

"Yes," Serenity whispered wistfully and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before nodding to her Professor. She briefly took the time to look down at herself, shaking her head slightly before turning to look at the two adults and offered a small smile, "Will you wait for me?"

Although the words were simple and were directed to her current state, he knew the other implication.

_Will you wait for me?_ I need your support, please be by my side.

"Of course."

""""""""""""""

The Great Hall was brimming with conversation; it was lively despite the chill outside of the fortified castle. Students from Year 1 to 7, separated only by their Houses sat on their seats oblivious to everything else but themselves and their surrounding comrades.

Therefore, when Perrier Flamel and Serenity Moon arrived no one had noticed. The assembly continued with their conversations and merriment even when Perrier and Serenity strode inside; the teenager holding a firm grasp of Perrier's robes as he led the way down Gryffindor table. Nor did anyone notice when Serenity had faltered in her steps when they were almost midway through the Great Hall, stopping only for a few seconds until she regained her composure and continued forward.

However, students and staff alike finally took notice when they passed the midway point of the Great Hall. At first, it was just a random faculty member who had cast a simple passing glance over the sea of students. Then just a student who had turned from his seat to pick up a fallen sheet of paper, another who had risen to get up and make her way to the restroom, and so forth and so on. Before long, there was only silence throughout the Great Hall as all eyes fell on the student and teacher.

They watched as Serenity passed, not once staring at her dorm mates, her peers, and not even her friends. They saw how Hermione had made to move over, a welcoming smile on her and her friends' faces, but Serenity kept her head bent down and moved forward. She hadn't even said a word to them.

The very idea was slightly surprising, but not unimaginable. There were many students that had believed that something truly tragic befell the Gryffindor. So when they witnessed this event, the whole room suddenly flared to life as they turned to one another, still casting sideway glances at the duo, and began gossiping about the possible implications that this could mean.

All the while, Serenity trudged forward more slowly now as she became quite aware of the staring and had drifted even closer to Perrier's side, her hands whitening as she tightened her hold on his robe.

"It'll be fine, Serenity," Perrier whispered, a small comforting smile appearing on his face.

As they approached the end of the Gryffindor table, the older man had to coax her to sit down on the table and once she had done so had made a move to leave. However, he stopped when he realized that Serenity had once-again grabbed a hold of his robe. Turning around, he turned his attention back to the silent Gryffindor.

He softened his features when he recognized her solemn attitude and drew closer, grabbing her cold hands into his warm ones and began kneading her knuckles in soothing circles.

"Serenity…"

"Isn't this enough? I came all the way here, didn't I?" Serenity murmured, barely above a whisper.

"You've done well," Perrier assured the girl, "but…"

"I – I think I understand," Serenity interrupted, her head bent down for a brief second before jerking up and looking imploringly at the older man, "But you'll come back, won't you? I'm supposed to return to Gryffindor Tower…"

A brief flash of worry and concern erupted through Perrier's well of emotion at Serenity's words.

He had believed earlier that she was finally moving forward, but her actions belie the actual truth. Her timid moves and soft spoken words, her imploring, fearful eyes, these characteristics did not belong to the Gryffindor he currently knew, nor did it belong to the old Princess that his past self was familiar with. With a small sigh, and what he would hope to be an encouraging smile, Perrier Flamel looked down at Serenity and squeezed her hands supportively.

"I'll escort you back up to Gryffindor Tower, I'll do everything I can for you," Perrier assured the timid girl and bent his head down close to her ear, "As your past guardian and as your friend, I'll be here for you – whenever, wherever."

When he saw the silvery-blond haired maiden give him a small smile, her crystalline blue eyes briefly shining up at him before dying back to its old color, he knew – he knew that he said the right words. For now he would simply lie back and support her in any way that he can, right now he'll remain by her side.

""""""""""""""

Draco Malfoy saw what happened, he wasn't _blind_. He had noticed _her_ and the Defense Instructor right from the beginning, but had refused to say anything. Instead, he had feigned his interest on the conversation that surrounded him whilst he discreetly watched _her._ He heard rumors as to what to expect, he wasn't a Slytherin for nothing. But he wasn't expecting it to be _this_ bad.

At first he simply waved it off as nerves. That the way she walked and clutched on the older man's robes was simply because she was unsure, and it would pass once she got near Potter. However, when that point reached and passed, with her not even giving off recognition, he began to wonder.

Maybe it wasn't nerves, or it was to some extent. And again, he waited and watched, all the while talking with his fellow Slytherins who had now fallen into silence. So he, too, fell into silence whilst musing in his head about the possibilities of what happened to Serenity Moon. He _knew_ that it was bad; he _knew_ that it was because of him that this happened, but he did not know how to bring retribution to this possibility. That the Serenity Moon he once knew had severely changed.

As he watched the silent Gryffindor take a seat on the very end, near the staff table, and saw how she kept her head down, refusing to even look at anyone on the table, he truly knew that his thoughts were correct.

(Damn Gryffindorks…damn _Him_…damn everything!)

He wanted to do something, anything to make her better. He caused this and he knew it, and it _hurt_. It hurt knowing that he can't simply walk over there and take her in his arms and comfort her; it hurt that she was in pain because of him; it hurt that he didn't know what to do.

And then Granger rises from the Gryffindor table and begins her trek over to the lone Gryffindor. It should have been obvious that the Mudblood would be the one to comfort her, and no doubt Potter and Weasel would too. And sure enough, they rise up after a second or two, all three heading for Moon.

For a brief second he wondered if Serenity would accept them into her life again so easily. If, maybe, these three Gryffindors would be the one to comfort her in her time of need because of what he did. However, all of that stops when Perrier Flamel comes sidling in and lays a hand on Serenity who promptly stands up, her head still bowed and is escorted out of the Great Hall, leaving three bemused Gryffindors.

And as he watched with a small frown now marring his elegant face, he wondered if this will be the way things would be from now on. If so, what could be done to fix this mess?

His musings were cut short when a tanned hand settled on his shoulder. Looking to his right, he saw dark ebony eyes boring down on him, his best friend signaling him in his own quiet way that everything will be fine.

Sending a stiff nod at his best friend, Draco Malfoy pushed himself away from the table and made a stand. He had no more time to think about this, he had a position to uphold, a name to live up to, and his own life to live. Serenity Moon shouldn't invade his thoughts, his Slytherins needed him more. Nodding to his best friend and confidant, then to his peers, Draco Malfoy left the table, heading for his next class – Transfigurations.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""


	16. Chapter 16

Title: Needed

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them.

Modified: December 2, 2008.

""""""""""""

Serenity kept her head bowed; it was a common habit of hers since her return. It wasn't like she wanted to keep her head down; it gave her a crick in her neck and it was horribly uncomfortable, but she still did it.

The reason? Simple; it's because of _them_.

The students, the teachers, and even the ghosts!

The teachers gave her looks of pity – even Snape, though she was quite sure he would irrefutably deny it.

The students whisper wherever she went. Their faces grave, or in the Slytherins' case impassive, but their looks were the same. Their eyes held curiosity, and their stances indicated that they were tempted to question her. But she would not give them that chance.

And the ghosts, the _ghosts_ made a point of even showing _compassion_. They would simply see her coming, and take a few seconds of giving her a look of pity before drifting away.

A part of her cherished those moments where she was alone; she hated the stares, the pity, and the niggling sensation that came with every step that her peers took to coming closer to her.

She knew it would only be a matter of time before they finally cornered her and asked. She dreaded that inevitable moment.

But for now, she would enjoy this silence. It was slightly comforting, but she always felt as if she was missing something. And for the life of her, she could not…

"Serenity?"

She froze her steps, her breath hitching at the back of her throat. For a brief second she actually considered running away.

Faintly, she could hear the hollowed steps of shoes clacking against the cold, stone ground and knew that this person was coming imperceptibly closer to her person.

(I could always run, I think I would have a fair chance of finding a safe haven, somewhere far away from here…) Serenity bit the bottom of her lip, her head still bowed.

Then the person stopped, and she _knew_ that she couldn't run away.

(It was only a matter of time…)

"…I…"

Hesitantly, Serenity raised her head, her bangs covering the edges of her still-dull crystalline blue eyes. In front of her, she saw with painful clarity the sight of a distraught Harry Potter. For a brief second, she briefly felt a pang of longing for the Boy-Who-Lived but quickly embedded those thoughts in the back of her mind. She wouldn't, couldn't get close to him.

(He's too pure, too trusting… I'll only) Serenity watched, carefully concealing her traitorous feelings as the raven-haired teenager tentatively approached her (I'll only…fail you.)

Sending one glance of half-disclosed fear toward Harry, Serenity turned around and ran away. She couldn't handle the pressure - as the memories of her failure, her fear, and her dashed hopes became too much for her.

"""""""""""""

It was only later that day, on Wednesday, January 6, simply two days since the beginning of the new term that Serenity found herself standing in the corner of the empty classroom for Defense training. The day had gone virtually fast, no one attempted conversation with her since earlier that day with Harry. She could only assume that Harry had informed her friends, who in turn, informed everyone else in the school.

People still stared, but at least now they kept a bigger distance from her. They virtually left her alone; the professors allowed her to work on her own, and she took these silent offers with concealed gratitude.

(I am grateful, but I know that it will have to end sooner or later…) Serenity mentally sighed, knowing that she couldn't continue with this selfish attitude for long. She kept herself in solitude since her arrival, and to prolong this would only wear on their nerves.

Just then the door creaked open, and she felt herself reflexively tense as her stance drew rigid; she could almost feel herself pale and freeze at the sound.

(You're at Hogwarts, you're at an empty classroom….you're not _there_.)

Taking a calming breath, Serenity turned around and found herself staring at Harry Potter. The raven-haired boy swept his hair away from his startling emerald green eyes, a habit she noted that he used when he was particularly nervous. Harry continued his way inside the room, keeping his pace slow and even, his eyes wary as he looked at Serenity.

A moment's silence fell over them. Serenity turned away.

"I didn't mean to scare you…" Harry broke in, and she felt him stare at her – studying her actions and movements, trying to gauge what she was currently feeling.

It was uncomfortable, yet comforting at the same time – the emotions that he encouraged in her felt strange. She wondered if that was normal.

"I'm just…we're worried about you, Serenity," Harry continued, and shuffled around in the room - it unnerved her, not to know where he was.

Pursing her lips, Serenity forced herself to face Harry so she wouldn't have her back facing him. She half-heartedly berated herself for not trusting one of the few she _should_ trust. However, having spent enough time over at that _place, _taught you a thing or two about keeping your back away from others.

"Just know that I'll – we'll always be there for you," Harry croaked out, licking his lips in the process.

Serenity could blurrily make out the earnest expression of the Boy-Who-Lived and knew that he was sincere. She felt a part of her crumble, but she just as quickly reinforce the ramparts and walls of the fortress she built within herself. His words had been taken in, but she wouldn't easily allow herself to trust.

Before Harry could say anything more, the door opened with a loud slam and Serenity felt herself quiver in fear before large balls of light sailed into the classroom straight for the two of them. A loud yelp and a stifled scream erupted from the classroom, and Serenity felt herself shake in fear, her legs unwilling to move.

"Serenity RUN!" Harry shouted over the debris of smoke and falling shards of wood from what she knew originated from the desks.

And just like that, Serenity scrambled from her fallen position and tried to swallow the fear she knew was emanating from her figure. Wordlessly, she felt Harry's gaze quickly run over her before he scrambled up and cast spell after spell.

(I can't do this…) Serenity regretfully noted as she scrambled into another dive from the spells that seemingly came out of nowhere.

(I'll only be a hindrance…) Serenity sorrowfully mused, stifling another scream as she heard Harry shout over the smoke and debris for her to duck.

The whole duration of their Defense class was unproductive. Serenity could only helplessly scuttle around the enlarged room while Harry did all he could to ensure her safety with ordered words and phrases.

""""""""""""

Serenity struggled with herself internally, willing herself not to cry, not to run, and not to hide. It was frustrating, burdensome, and lonely.

She never felt so helpless or so weak, when she very well knew that she was more than capable.

She had her powers back under her control. She had other people that would willingly help her – she had Artemis, after all. And more importantly, she had her wand – the silver crystal merrily glowing in comfort, sending its warm presence as it hummed beneath her fingertips.

But she still felt useless, she still felt weak. It frustrated her enough to want to run away and cry.

Since the Remedial/Training session for Defense three days ago, Serenity felt as if the world was enclosing itself around her. She felt defenseless, despite all the powers at her disposal. She felt like a burden, not only to Harry but to Artemis as well.

Serenity knew how dependent she was to the white-haired Professor, and yet she still relied so heavily on the man. Even to this day, almost a week since her first day of class, she had made him escort her to classes whenever he had a chance. Not only did it cut close to his class sessions, but also to his free time. It was onerous, and she should be ashamed of herself for being so selfish, but she couldn't help it.

She was still afraid.

(I don't deserve to be a Gryffindor.) Serenity guiltily mused as she kept her head bowed, her hand clutching at the end of Flamel's sleeve as she followed him down the empty corridor that would lead to the Great Hall for lunch.

As she passed down the long, winding hallway, passing the low shadows from the flickering flames emitting from the torches hanging on the desolate walls, the eerily silent pictures from hanging portraits, walking by the closed classrooms and open windows, Serenity felt completely empty.

(I don't deserve pity. I don't deserve to feel this way…)

The only sound she could hear was her own breathing, her own shoes echoing against the cold pavement, and the soft rustling of her robes mixed with those of her Professor's.

(I don't deserve such kind treatment – from anyone…)

Yet, as she listened to her own musings just as she made them, she still felt the indistinct pain threading through her beating heart.

Although she had believed that she left all those wasted emotions and feelings back at her captivity, it still resided within her. The feelings of pain, loneliness, despair, everything. She still cried, she still felt fear, shame, and she still felt every negative emotion known to mankind.

(I shouldn't… I'm only a hindrance.)

Life still continues to live on, even when she felt like she wanted to stop everything from happening. There is still day and night; there is still the sun and the moon. Birds continued to thrive, animals continued to frolic, and students resumed their schoolwork and gossip. It was as if her own pain, her own torment, no longer existed.

How could she still be alive after everything that happened?

_The world cannot stop_

_Don't let Him win_

_Remember_

_Remember_

Serenity stopped, the grasp she held on Flamel's robes fell away. Her footsteps halted in their tracks as her breathing slowly calmed down her thoughts and memories.

She did remember, she did understand…

She remembered her duties and her position; she knew what she had to do.

"Serenity?"

Looking up at the concerned face of her dearly beloved Professor, Serenity broke into a small, sad smile.

"It was my duty, Artemis…"

At first, Perrier Flamel's face was a mixture of confusion but as the words settled themselves into his head he understood.

With that, confusion turned into acceptance into understanding.

"I really am weak, aren't I? I couldn't stop him, I couldn't do anything…"

With a pained smile on the older man's face, he reached out and pulled the broken girl close against his chest. Whispers of soothing words guided by the minute strokes he placed on the teenager's hair and back, he tried to assure that everything was fine.

Everything was fine, and everything will be fine.

For those restless minutes they spent on the empty corridor, the two held each other.

A broken girl, a comforting man and it was as if they were the only ones in the world.

"Artemis…"

"I'll be here for you…"

Breaking away from the older man, Serenity smiled before nodding her head in acceptance.

"It will take some time, Serenity. Everything takes time – to heal, to grow, to love."

Again, another nod.

"Can you understand that? Are you willing?"

This time, silence.

Can she accept everything? Is she truly willing to simply stop this empty and lonely existence she is currently experiencing? Life as it is was horribly quiet; life continued to move on, people continued to exist and yet… she simply stopped. She was more subdued and quiet – but it was _safe_. No one could get close to her unless she chose; no one could speak to her unless she was willing – it was simply _better_.

Wasn't it?

"""""""""""""

Serenity walked alone since her conversation with Professor Flamel – Artemis. If anyone happened to have noticed, and thankfully no one has – since everyone should already be at lunch at this time – they would be surprised to find Serenity Moon walking _alone_.

She needed to be alone; she wanted to be… not the kind where she trailed after her Defense Professor, and not the kind where she sat off by herself on the Gryffindor table, or in the corner of her classroom. She wanted to be alone in the sense where she can freely go anywhere, and simply _think_. To think without anyone looking at you, to think without worrying that someone may happen upon her and try to force answers out of her.

Of course there would be consequences, but right now she could care less. She would face the effects of her solitude, when it came – if it came at all. She had enough thoughts on her mind as it is.

_Can you understand that?_

Can she?

_Everything takes time_.

Of course it does.

But can she accept it? She had failed before – horribly, truly, miserably. The consequences had been dire. And she could not, would not do something like that again. She just couldn't!

_Everything takes time._

Could she move on? Would time truly heal her, help her move on?

_Are you willing?_

Serenity stopped, her senses kicking in and for a moment she froze in her place. Looking up, her head cocked to the side as she studied her surrounding area and found herself up in the Astronomy Tower. The sun was ablaze in its glory, the sky filled with incandescent blue, revealing just how wonderful the day truly was and should be enjoyed.

Too bad it didn't truly reflect her hazy mood.

However that wasn't the reason for her current need to stop and find the source of her sudden discomfort. No, the reason was lying a few feet away from her – and it was tall, pale, and with white-blond hair.

It was Draco Lucius Malfoy.

She could almost feel and hear her heart thumping so heavily against her chest; she could feel her lips dry, her throat constrict, and feel her senses waver.

She was ultimately confused and torn. She didn't know whether to run away or storm over to the Slytherin. She was confused between yelling, raving, and crying or cowering. There were several emotions whirling around her, but these were at the forefront of her mind.

But before she could stop herself and wait for a second opinion about her sudden impulse, she felt herself moving forward. It would seem that the Slytherin had yet to acknowledge her presence.

His pale luminescent white skin, his stormy gray eyes… his graceful, lithe body perched against the solid embrasure of the Astronomy Tower. His usual stoic façade was seemingly absent as he stared out at the lush scenery in front of him.

His sight alone was breathtaking, picturesque.

But to her, he was an enigma, a betrayer, a savior.

Languorously, Serenity made her way over beside the Slytherin Prince, her hand moving on its own accord as she dug into her pockets, feeling the familiar object she subconsciously had in mind. And as she approached closer, she noticed how the Slytherin tensed his shoulders, the relaxed features that once covered his face was now replaced with the familiar cold mask.

_Are you willing? _

(It's better now than later…)

_Where's your bravery now?_

(It's better now than later…)

Taking a deep breath, Serenity inched closer, finding herself standing only a few feet away from the Slytherin.

(…or I could run away, there's a good chance he won't…)

Before she could complete her musings, Draco Malfoy had chosen this time to turn around. His stormy gray eyes widening ever so slightly that anyone would miss it – but she took notice, though refusing to comment.

(…I can still run, can't I?)

For a moment neither moved, nor did they turn their heads away as their eyes met. Both remained immovable as each took one another's appearance.

Draco's stiff posture and frozen mask in place; Serenity's wavering, slightly cowering stance and dull eyes.

(…Can't I?)

_And here I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave_

Serenity could almost hear those words ringing in her ears, that simple remark and chuckle from the Slytherin Prince. She could feel the unbridled tears accompany the painful memory, the last one before…

_Where's your bravery now?_

Draco Malfoy's eyes now narrowed as he watched her, almost challenging her presence before him. And she felt cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment.

Why was she here?

Forcing her emotions to come into check, she continued to stare at the Slytherin – and she remembered.

Grasping the offending, yet comforting object in her pocket, she withdrew it.

"Se-," The boy was the first to speak, his voice low and sounding sincere.

"You saved me, yet you hurt me."

"…"

"I trusted you, but you betrayed that trust."

"…."

Keeping her tone even, her face in an even mask she stared at the Slytherin and bit her bottom lip, almost drawing blood. He appeared so steadfast, so strong but as she looked into his eyes she found the answer that she sought and it pained her.

"Don't think I can forgive so easily."

Stepping closer, she raised her fisted hand in front of her. And for a brief moment, Draco Malfoy thought she would hit him for his betrayal and manipulation. She had a right to, and so he mentally prepared himself for this occasion as he closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.

But the impact never came.

Instead, he heard a clink right in front of him, a sound akin to a falling object.

"I want to hate you, I really do – but, I can't. And I don't really know why…"

Opening his eyes, Draco found himself utterly alone.

"""""""""""""

She was pretty distracted since her "talk" with Draco Malfoy, but she simultaneously felt relieved. She had spoken her mind, her feelings and most importantly – she did it on her own. There was no one there to stop her, no one to encourage her aside from past feelings and trailing thoughts. It was her own choice, her own decision.

And with a small smile, Serenity felt a little bit of life come flying back into her.

It had been awhile since she interacted with someone, and she found that she didn't mind that it was Malfoy out of all people. Their "talk" if one could call it that was liberating and it allowed her to return the ring.

The silver band, enchanted to be a portkey.

It had taken her awhile to accept the fact that Malfoy had betrayed her whilst in her captivity, and in the end he had done something unpredictable – sending her a portkey in order to return her to Hogwarts. It was shocking, and for a moment she had even thought about thanking the Slytherin.

But those thoughts had all but stopped when she remembered his betrayal.

(I can't believe I even thought…I had _feelings_ for him.) Serenity scowled as she walked down the now-fairly crowded hallways.

Students had now finished lunch, as evidenced from the lively throng of students and professors. And as she walked through the mass, everyone had begun to quiet down and watch her – looks of surprise and confusion settling on each of their faces.

For a moment, Serenity herself had taken up the look of confusion until it settled in her as to _why_ they were acting that way. Of course they would be surprised, even confused. After all, it was the first time since her return that she was willingly alone. Moreover, her feet were not shuffling on the pavement; her face was not faced downward. And this was why everyone had become baffled by her appearance.

(Really now, do they have to gawk?) Serenity rolled her eyes as she rounded the corner, startling more lingering students in her wake as she made her way to her next destination – Remedial/Training Defense Lessons.

""""""""""""""

Three days later, everyone had begun to adjust to Serenity's improvement. A few students had tried to approach the teenager but she had reacted somewhat the same to her initial reactions towards other people – by running away or flinching. Since then, everyone had kept their distance but at the very least they knew that the Serenity Moon that they had once known was slowly recovering from her ordeal.

She preferred the seats near the exits and at the very end of the tables, but she no longer required Professor Flamel's presence wherever she went. People had gotten used to seeing Serenity Moon now wandering the hallways between classes, and sometimes on her breaks, by herself where other people could see her.

By Saturday, everyone was no longer surprised to see Serenity come on her own to a late breakfast meal in the Great Hall.

"I'm proud of you, Serenity," Flamel greeted as he approached the Gryffindor table.

"You said it yourself – _although everything has changed; your role in this world has not_." Serenity mimicked, looking up to see amused emerald green eyes, "You told me that a long time ago, I had almost forgotten. It was the night… of the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match."

Flamel simply nodded as he too recalled that fateful evening.

"Everything has changed, yet I still remain. I wanted so much…to remain the way I was, but that would be foolish," Serenity glanced at her half-empty plate, "I was such a coward."

Sensing his princess's unease, Flamel clamped his hand down on top of her head and gave a supportive smile.

"What you have been through would have made anyone stop living. You are not a coward, never think that, never believe it," Flamel smiled and drew his hand away in order to fetch an object from his robes, "With that said, I want you to have this…"

Confusion apparent on her face, Serenity silently took the proffered object and stared inquisitively at the potion bottle.

"A Calming Draught?"

"It refills itself twice a day, every other day. I suggest that you take that once in the morning and one at night – every other day, of course."

"What…?" Serenity blinked slightly, still confused until she began to grasp the gist of what he was suggesting.

Her face slowly began to darken at the mere thought as she looked at the offending potion bottle.

"Don't make that face, Serenity…" Flamel lightly reprimanded and sighed, "I am proud of your attempt of recovery, but it's not enough…"

"It's never enough…" Serenity murmured, placing the bottle into her school bag.

"You are still agitated, I have noticed and so have the others. I trust that you still have nightmares…?"

Biting the bottom of her lip was answer enough for the Defense Instructor.

"You will sleep better if you calm down enough. If you still receive nightmares, despite the effects of the potion, simply come to me or Madame Pomfrey. We will provide you with a Dreamless Sleep Potion until we find something more preferable for you. You can't continue taking such a potent potion, even if we prescribe it to you every 3rd day…"

"Do I have to take these potions?" Serenity sighed, staring blankly at her plate.

"It's not forever, Serenity, only until you learn to calm yourself down enough to be more comfortable around your peers."

Seeing the slightly glazed look settle in her already dull eyes, Flamel could not help but flinch at the thought of what his princess could be thinking about. He allowed himself to kneel down in front of the teenager, not caring what her peers, what his students, and what the staff's opinion may be.

Taking her hand in his, he looked up at her eyes and gave another encouraging smile.

"The potions will help you improve your mood, but only you can change who you are. You already know what I said before, right? _Everything takes time_. Just bear with this a little while longer, you will get better."

"But how…?"

"With _time_," Flamel stressed, emphasizing the word even more as he clasped her hands tightly with his own, "I have spoken with Pomfrey, and she agrees that perhaps…you may need to find ways to distract yourself from dwelling too long in those thoughts of yours."

At this Serenity frowned.

"Of course, bottling it up won't help either. However, distraction does help increase a more positive outlook in your life and reduces your negative reactions to your thoughts and feelings," Flamel continued, and watched as Serenity's frown melted into understanding.

"What do you suggest?" Serenity murmured.

Flamel allowed himself to smile just a little more as he realized that Serenity was more accepting and quite willing after his explanation and suggestion.

"How do you feel about taking more Defense classes?"

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""


	17. Chapter 17

Title: Needed

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them whatsoever.

Modified December 18, 2008

"""""""""""""

Panting, Serenity wiped the sweat that trickled down her flushed face. She had been doing all that she could to keep herself preoccupied since her dinner conversation two weeks ago. It was now nearing the end of January and with that came the change in the weather. However, no one had dared to venture the outdoors since the attacks prior to the turn of the New Year.

Quidditch had been canceled, much to the outrage of the students. And accompanying the cancellation of Quidditch, Herbology Lessons have been slightly altered. Students must be escorted to the Greenhouses by Professors and Aurors.

The reason was because the lich had struck again, twice within the last week of January - the first on Sunday the 24th and the second on the 28th, two days from today.

Aside from the inevitable attacks by the Dark Creature, everything resumed as normal as it can be. Classes were still being held, though lessons have picked up a notch. They were more focused on defense, should students happen across the vile thing.

Pausing in her battle stance, Serenity's dull crystalline blue eyes drew over to the window. She had found herself staring more often than not at the landscape underneath. A regular occurrence since she began practicing in this room, Serenity stopped practicing, and drifted over to lean her forehead against the cool window.

Down below, the white snow was gleaming against the glare of the sun. Though January was approaching its end, the snow had yet to melt and uncover the tufts of grass right below. The only change that Serenity could see was the fact that there had been no snowstorms and if she stared hard enough, the snow was melting, no matter how minuscule it may appear.

"Looking outside again?" a voice abruptly broke though her conscience.

Serenity visibly tensed, startled and a bit scared from being caught off-guard. However, it all ended when she noticed the tone of voice and relaxed.

Whirling around, she glared at the intruder, "Artemis, the least you could do was knock. You know how I react when I'm caught unprepared!"

Smirking, the white-haired Defense Instructor closed the door behind him and proceeded inside, settling himself down an available chair off to the right-side of the room.

"Of course I know, Serenity. However, after two weeks I have come to the conclusion that you have vastly improved."

Narrowing her eyes, Serenity focused all of her attention on the man before her.

"You have not acted as harshly as you would have weeks before. And you have begun speaking your mind quite freely these days. You are not as timid."

"…."

"You know that I am telling the truth."

"What do you expect me to say?" Serenity grumbled.

Smiling now, Perrier Artemus Flamel comfortably leaned against the back of his chair and silently studied the girl. It was obvious that she was anxious about something, and he had a faint idea as to what.

"Nothing tremendous," he replied, "I was just wondering if you wanted to try something new."

This caught her interest. She cocked her head to the side and paid more attention.

"I am talking about having Harry around you more often," Perrier clasped his hands tightly in front of him before standing up.

"W-What?" Serenity stared incredulously at her professor, trying to process the information he just fed her.

Harry? Harry being here…

Harry being around her…

"You're bonkers!" Serenity cried out, flustered and incredibly at a loss as to what to do.

"I assure you, that this is the most logical step I can think of," Perrier smiled comfortingly, though that did nothing for Serenity as she continued to stare dubiously at the white-haired man.

"How is having Harry around me reasonable? He is Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Golden Boy…"

"And your friend; that is, if you would have me." A new voice entered the room.

Serenity felt her face flush and she vaguely noted how she was not entirely surprised by the entrance of the unexpected entity. Turning around she was faced with the topic of her distress, Harry Potter.

"H-Harry," Serenity hesitantly greeted with a small bow, a bow that caused the raven-haired boy to smile in amusement before he closed the door behind him.

"Ah, you found the place in good time," Perrier greeted a pleased smile on his face as he noted how Serenity reacted to Harry's entrance.

"Professor," Serenity grumbled, darting a glare towards her Defense Instructor.

"You reacted quite nicely with Mr. Potter's entrance, Ms. Moon," Perrier informed and smirked inwardly when Serenity lessened the glare before turning her attention back toward Harry.

"I agree you weren't tense at all by my entrance. I remember how you reacted beforehand and you have improved since then," Harry added helpfully.

Serenity simply stared suspiciously at the Boy-Who-Lived, wondering why he seemed so accommodating and accepting. What had she done to cause this raven-haired boy to be so amendable towards her? Why now after being separated from everyone else's company, especially his?

What was going on?

"Before your abduction you have managed to get along with Mr. Potter – with Harry – and perhaps now would be the best time to reinstate him into your life." Perrier explained, watching the expressions of shock, horror, and confusion war against the teenager's face.

"Is it wise…?" Serenity pensively inquired, staring between Harry and Perrier, wondering what to do, unsure and feeling quite vulnerable.

"It's up to you, Serenity," Harry shrugged but it was offset by the hopefulness that radiated from his emerald green eyes, "I am doing fairly well in my private DADA classes with Professor Flamel. But it would be nice to work with you again…"

Serenity fell into silence as she reflected to the past. She remembered when she worked so closely with Harry and how intimate they were. She honestly enjoyed spending her time with not the Boy-Who-Lived, not the Golden Boy, and not the Chosen One, but… just Harry. With him, she could almost forget her duties, forget who she was, and just be… herself. But could she truly be that same girl again, after everything that had happened?

Looking at the hope, the care and the tenderness shining in those emerald greens, Serenity looked for the answer inside of herself.

(I don't think I could be that same person ever again…)

Closing her eyes she recalled the bittersweet memories of her youth. The days she spent with her old friends – Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto, Michiru, Haruka, Setsuna, Hotaru – how she always managed to forget most of her troubles with them. They were like a family to her. When she was with them, there was so much laughter.

A small smile graced her lips before she was sent into another memorable ride down the plane, recalling her family – Shingo, Mother, Father, Luna – they had so many fights, yet just as many loving memories spent together. They would argue over chores, homework, and scores on their exams. Yet, each night they would leave for their room in good humor and know that they are loved.

Love – how could she forget something so simple, yet so important? Love had always been important and should still be just as significant in this world as in the past. Mamoru, her love, had been constant in her last life. They had their disputes, but no matter what happened she knew that he would always love her as she has always loved him.

Slowly, the small smile that graced her lips fell. Loved – it is a past term now, isn't it?

Would she ever experience that tender, fragile, yet magical feeling ever again?

Opening her crystalline blue eyes and seeing emerald green stare straight at her, she wondered, and felt something stir in the recess of her heart.

Hope. Acceptance. Care.

(I may not have what I had in the past, but…)

"All I can do is move forward, right?" Serenity allowed herself a small smile.

And for once, the dullness in Serenity's crystalline blue eyes receded just a bit, allowing the two present to see the familiar twinkle of happiness burst forth.

"""""""""""

Throughout the whole week and towards the next, Serenity had slowly but eventually ingrained her life with Harry's. As always, the students and staff members had taken immediate notice to the abrupt change of Serenity Moon's life. And it was a surprising, but nice change.

With Harry Potter now involved, Serenity had become much more sociable, to a certain extent. She would speak when spoken to, but scarcely began a conversation on her own unless it was absolutely necessary.

"You're holding up pretty nicely," a warm, soft voice murmured from beside her.

The weather had warmed considerably in the first week of February and the chance of having a nice climate for Valentine's Day on Sunday was high. Male and females of all ages were planning their dates spent up on the rooftops of the Astronomy Tower or at Hogsmeade, where Aurors and Professors were rumored to be stationed that very day.

"… You think?" Serenity glanced out the corner of her eye and saw Harry lean against the glass pane of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"You have been more open since your return," Harry lightly commented, the tip of his lips quirking into a smile.

"I cannot allow myself to be depressed forever," Serenity sadly murmured, "I felt so useless that day, so many weeks ago. All I could do was try my best not to get hit by those spells. I left you to tend to the attacks by yourself…"

"It was expected, Serenity…" Harry began.

"It doesn't matter," Serenity cut in, shaking her head, "We're supposed to be partners, and I let you down…"

"You had only…"

"Harry, I know you're trying to make me feel better…" Serenity interrupted once again, a small smile settling on her lips.

"And you're trying to stop me," Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Hmph, like I would let you make me feel better with such words."

"Same to you…"

Both broke out into a smile. It had been some time since the two were alone, and the rare times they were, they hardly talked. This had been the first time since they really had a heart-to-heart without causing Serenity to run away like in the past.

"I was really worried…" Harry confessed, purposefully not looking in her direction, "I spent all my time since your disappearance worrying. And when you returned, I was so relieved…"

"…"

Nervousness took hold of Harry Potter, his hand winding its way up to his dark locks, making it messier than it normally was. Biting the bottom of his lip, Harry decided to continue on with his thoughts.

(Consequences be _damned_ I am going to say what I wanted to say since her return.)

"I didn't think I could care about you as much as I did – still do," Harry murmured, closing his eyes, "And I never knew how much I truly needed you in my life until you were taken away… from me."

Serenity's breath hitched upon Harry's confession, she had a feeling that their friendship had grown before her abduction but she had refused to allow herself to grow close to the boy since her return. Now here he was – the one she was sworn to protect and the one she had begun to grow so fond of since that fateful day in Transfiguration Class.

With a small, tender smile Serenity drew close to the raven-haired boy and tentatively touched his hand, drawing a gasp from the emerald eyed boy as his eyes fluttered open to stare at the petite witch.

Caressing his hand, Serenity picked it up and marveled how small her hand was compared to his, before bringing it up to her lips and began kissing his knuckles and fingertips. She had never allowed herself to touch another man aside from Professor Flamel, and even then it had not been as intimate as what she was doing now. The internal scar she bore from her abduction was one that would take time to heal, and this was the first time that she had seriously considered that maybe she was healing.

"S-Serenity?" Harry was flabbergasted by her display of intimacy. He could clearly feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks and was flustered, not even Cho acted this way towards him.

"Harry," Serenity murmured, looking up after kissing the last of his fingertips and the palm of his hand. It was within that moment that time seemed to crawl to a stop as crystalline blue met emerald green. It was clear how he felt for her, and as he stared into her eyes he was amazed by the emotion she emanated – hope and affection.

(It's not love, but it's something…) Harry mused to himself his face softening as he slowly drew her into his arms.

"I don't know if what I feel for you is…" Serenity began, allowing herself to be held so closely and with so much affection that tears began to form in her eyes.

"I understand; I'll wait," Harry whispered as he drew her closer, nuzzling the top of her mane of hair.

Clutching the front of his robes, Serenity buried her head and together the two stood in the Gryffindor Common Room. Knowing, but not caring that several eyes were focused on them. Knowing, but not caring that several students had burst out into comments and gossip. Knowing, but not caring that snapshots had suddenly clicked away courtesy of Colin Creevy.

Nothing else mattered when the two embraced each other. Harry was offering himself as a support while Serenity laid herself content in his arms, embracing the fact that she found something to look forward to. She felt needed and cared for.

It was enough.

"""""""""""

"You should have expected this," Blaise murmured beside him.

It had been a little over two months since Draco had betrayed Serenity out of petty spite, and over a month since Draco had last spoken to the silvery-blond haired maiden. At first it was tolerable. At least he managed to see her every day, and even if he did not speak to her, he knew she was safe. But this state that he lived in, where he merely watched from afar became intolerable.

Why? Because of Harry-_bloody_-Potter.

Several weeks ago, he was secretly glad for the improvement that Serenity had made with the aid of Harry Potter. It was because of him that Serenity had begun speaking to the other students, and he had even inwardly praised the Gryffindork for his noble ways.

But oh how he came to _loathe_ that Golden Boy.

It all seemed innocent enough. Potter simply sat near Serenity, not speaking. Then he pushed it a little more by walking her to and from classes; then he began to gently coax Serenity into speaking to him; then he had guided her to sit around more people.

Before anyone knew it, Serenity Moon had entrenched herself back into a semblance of normalcy. She was far from complete recovery, but she could speak more openly and active.

It was all well and good. _Not._

Somewhere along the way, Harry-bloody-Potter became _involved_ with Serenity Moon. And she didn't seem to mind, _at all_.

Pursing his lips, Draco merely sneered in response to Blaise's comment before stabbing his breakfast. He had long since given up finding a witty comeback to Blaise's words.

"Oh my, Draco dear, what _are_ you doing?" Pansy managed a look of offense, turning up her nose in mild disgust.

Covering up the confused expression on his face, Draco looked down at his plate and was a little amazed at the mess he had caused whilst lost in his thoughts. It appears that he had gotten out of hand this morning when he saw _them_.

Unable to mask his disgust, Draco pushed his plate away and glared at Pansy along with any Slytherin that would dare say anything about his lack of refinement. Knowing that he would not be able to bear staying at the table that morning, he rose to his feet and left the Great Hall.

Behind him, Draco managed to hear Blaise's clear and soothing voice.

"Really Pans, you should know better than chastise him about proper etiquette. Merlin knows _you_ need it more than he."

With a small smirk, Draco felt just a little bit better that morning.

""""""""""""

Of course his morning did not follow up to noontime or dinnertime. The small smirk that he managed to gather up that day fell completely into a sneer. His grey eyes fell into a stone-cold glare, and his whole posture radiated a '"don't you dare say anything offensive, or else."

Yes, it was one of _those_ days where you simply just let things be.

Unfortunately his dear Slytherin friend and self-proclaimed best mate didn't seem to care about any of this, and insisted on riling up the Slytherin further.

And what better way than to make comments about Potter and Moon?

"Well, well it would seem that those two are getting along quite well," Blaise smirked, his dark eyes staring straight at the couple of his choice.

Draco chose not to comment of course, instead paying an intense interest to his dinner, a glower on his face.

"What are you – oh, oh! Of course, who else but _those_ two," Pansy's voice rose up a hitch as she caught sight of who Blaise Zabini was talking about.

"Yes quite the couple. It almost seems like something out of a romance novel," another Slytherin commented and a few others murmured in agreement.

Before Draco could say 'Mudblood' his whole table began to talk about the _lovely_ couple, despite their horrible tendency of acting so affectionate with one another. How the two were so _Gryffindorish_ in their actions and how oh so _disgustingly sweet_ they were being.

With a scowl Draco punctured his meal with his fork, pretending that it was some vile animal set out to destroy him.

"… What do you think, Draco?" Pansy's voice broke his thoughts.

Acting as nonchalant as possible, Draco turned his head to meet Pansy and held back a sneer.

"Yes, Draco… what do you think about…" Blaise held back a smirk as he addressed the Slytherin Prince and cocked his head to the side, his tanned hands sweeping his dark locks in a small manner that would go amiss to others, save Draco himself.

It was an action that Draco knew all too well. Simply put, it was Blaise's way of showing Draco where to look in case he didn't know what the subject matter currently was. And so, Draco did look and when he did he wish had he had not.

Off to the side, Draco's eyes fell on the couple that his section of the table had been talking about minutes before, and seemingly still are. The Gryffindors that caused his foul mood for the whole day – hell, for the whole two weeks!

"Potter and Moon," Draco summoned up enough anger towards the two Gryffindors that plagued him these days, and directed venom into his voice.

"Sickeningly sweet, isn't it?" Pansy sneered, trying to imitate his current disposition as she directed a glare their way.

"But it is awfully romantic," Daphne Greengrass added, "For Gryffindors that is…"

"You still haven't answered Pansy's question, Draco," Blaise smirked, his dark eyes glittering with a mischievous quality that Draco found difficult not to wipe off with a good cutting hex right there and then.

"Oh yes – what do you think about those Gryffindors, Draco?" Pansy turned her attention momentarily away from the newly proclaimed Gryffindor couple to clutch on his arm.

Shrugging Pansy away from his appendage Draco took the time to momentarily study the two Gryffindors in question. Directly in his line of sight were Serenity Moon and Harry Potter. At first glance there was nothing romantically significant between the two, but for the Slytherins and anyone with enough intuition would notice that the two Gryffindors truly did have some sort of relationship with one another. It was based on their body language – the close proximity the two sat, the casual graze of their hands every now and then, and the glances the two shared from time to time. And, of course, the smile – the brilliant smile that only Serenity Moon could pull for Harry-_bloody_-Potter. It was that special smile that no one had managed to see prior to her abduction, and the one she seemed to only possess when around the Boy-Who-Lived.

With a vicious sneer Draco Malfoy forced himself to look away from the treacherous scene that displayed itself so innocently in front of him.

(You knew that this would happen, you accepted it. You knew that when you betrayed her and decided to get her back. You knew that she would no longer be yours.) Draco reminded himself for the nth time.

"Why would I _care_ about those bloody Gryffindors?" Draco all but growled.

"Is that jealousy that I hear?" Theodore mused, amusement oozing into his usually indifferent tone of voice.

"Like I would care what those two Gryffindor Saints do together," Draco drawled, trying to be apathetic towards the topic of conversation.

Unfortunately, his acting abilities were not up to par to the keen eye of the stringy Slytherin Boy.

"Of course, why should the Slytherin Prince care? It's not like Potter is your _rival_ in this school. It's not like Moon is one of _the_ best-looking girls in the school. And it's not like the Dark Lord is interested in the _both_ of them…" Theodore began listing out, much to Draco's chagrin.

"Of course I know all of that, you idiot!" Draco hissed, "But I am _not_ jealous of those two!"

"If you're not jealous, Draco, then why are you causing such a scene?" Theodore smirked, knowing full well that he was correct in his assumption.

Glowering, Draco looked around and noticed that, yes, he is causing a scene. All eyes in the Great Hall were trained on him, and if it wasn't for the fact that this was not a good time for him, he would have reveled in the attention. Therefore, there was only one thing he could do – he left.

(This is turning out for the worst…) Draco thought as he darted a full-heated glare towards Theodore Nott and left the Great Hall, quite aware of the hundreds of eyes focused behind him.

""""""""""""""

Dank, putrid, and pitch black was what one would describe the throne room of the Dark Lord. Everything was enveloped in darkness save for two flickering flames located on either end of the dais. In the center sat the famous Dark Lord Voldemort.

"Enter…" he hissed towards the closed double-door. At the end of the room, the doors swung open admitting a nervous-looking pudgy man that curiously resembled a rat. His beady eyes darted everywhere within until he approached the center of the throne room.

"M-My Lord," the man squeaked before practically falling onto the ground after seeing the look of impatience on his Lord's face.

After several agonizing minutes of complete silence, with the exception of the whimpers that began to erupt from the man on the floor, Voldemort lazily took out his wand and began twirling it in boredom.

"Tell me Wormtail… why is it that my orders have not been obeyed?"

A squeak of fear bubbled from Wormtail, and he immediately began to regret the summons of his Lord. Not like had a choice, but reflecting back on all those years… he was _really_ beginning to regret ever choosing this side of the war.

Gulping, Wormtail crawled on the ground and up the few steps to where his Lord resided. Grabbing the hem of his robes, Wormtail placed fervent kisses on them, wanting to please the man lest he angers him further.

"My Lord, I assure you that I and your followers are doing all that we can to find a way to…"

Anger and intense irritation accompanied with disgust flashed across Voldemort's face as he kicked Wormtail away, managing to hear his wail and groans of pain as he rolled over to the side, down the steps and onto the cool marble floor.

"I did not ask for excuses. I expect results!" Voldemort growled out and immediately flicked his wand towards the cowering man, a _Crucio_ falling from his lips.

Screams sang throughout the room.

Ending the spell, Voldemort stepped down from his dais, not even bothering to look at his shuddering Death Eater. By the time the Dark Lord reached the doorway, he stopped.

"Don't bother with my previous requests, Wormtail. I do not wish for anymore reports of your abysmal failures…"

With that said the doors swung open and closed behind the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord had made his decision – he would do this by another means.

What better way than through his own element? The Dark Arts.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""


	18. Chapter 18

Title: Needed

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them.

Modified: January 15, 2009

""""""""""""""

Night had fallen over the dark forest. There was only silence, and the creature welcomed it. Ever since his arrival in this poor excuse for a land, an eerie calm had settled everywhere that he chose to go. And he would not have it any other way.

Releasing the now unconscious acromantula, the lich stepped away from the nest that he found himself wandering in. He discovered the spot only two nights ago and was quite satisfied with the horde of spiders. Their blood was delicious, though not as satisfying as a unicorn's. And the magic that the acromantulas carried, though small, was resolved by their quantity.

His magical core was now satisfied; his strength had returned, and there was no more need in putting off his original intention. Ever since that fool of a Dark Lord had made the mistake of placing his phylactery on the girl, he had no intention of fulfilling the request asked of him. Now that the phylactery was no longer in the Dark Lord's possession, he could retrieve it.

And to do that, he would need to find the girl.

If he was correct, he could find her in that school he frequented now and then. The place was singing with blood and magic. Before, he was forbidden to satiate his thirst – the foolish Dark Lord held some sentimentality over the institution.

But now, if he so wished, he could take them all.

And once he held his phylactery, no one could stop him.

With a malicious grin stretched across his skeletal face, he set forth to his next destination: Hogwarts.

"""""""""""""

"_Intra vires_," Voldemort casted before ending the spell.

A rune circle was drawn in the circular chamber, lines of chalk was glowing in what could only resemble that of deep violet and midnight blue. In the center of the intricate lines stood Voldemort wearing not his usual black garb, but luminescent white, unearthly in such a dark chamber.

The Dark Lord currently held his arms aloft, his back arched, head thrown back, and beads of sweat poured down from his face to his neck. Intense concentration was the very face he wore, but as the minutes drew on, there were signs that the spell was ending once his face began to relax. The runes slowly faded before disappearing altogether, and with that the Dark Lord dropped his arms unceremoniously to the ground followed by his body.

Ragged breaths could be heard for several seconds before Voldemort allowed himself to look up. A triumphant smirk stretched across his face at the sight of his successful spell work – his four golems.

"Wonderful," Voldemort hissed, rising from his fallen position to observe his creations.

The golems were nothing more than solid, grotesque blocks of rock, mortar, and clay. However, they were more than just mindless, brutal summon creatures that would be used for an attack. These golems were capable of blending in any environment that he chose to send them in. All he needed was to carefully instruct them on what to expect and how to act. If provoked, they would be able to defend themselves with minor magicks and if hit, their "skin" would be able to block most spell work.

Feeling particularly gleeful over his latest creations, the Dark Lord set to work. There was still more to be done before he could send his creatures out.

""""""""""

"Happy Birthday, Ron!" chirped Serenity as she slid into her original seat, right beside Harry and across from Ron and Hermione.

The red-haired sixth year merely nodded in response before scooping up another spoonful of eggs Benedict into his mouth. There were some things that never changed for the now-seventeen year old Gryffindor, and that was his morning breakfast ritual.

"You would think that now that he's of-age he would do something more productive than shoveling food down his throat," Ginny commented, scrunching her nose in disgust when she saw her brother chewing with his mouth open.

"Ron! Chew with your mouth _closed_." Hermione chastised.

Choosing to ignore the less-than-pleasant scene, Serenity turned her attention to Harry and smiled in greeting. Ever since Harry had wormed his way back into her life, she had been smiling more often and prone to being around others. There was hardly a difference to her life before her… abduction. And she was thankful to Harry and Professor Flamel for that.

"Is something wrong?" Harry whispered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her body close to his.

Feeling a small blush coming on, Serenity simply shook her head in response and began heaping her plate full of eggs and pancakes. It wouldn't do to miss her favorite meal of the day, even if she was reminiscing about her past.

"Are you sure?" Harry squeezed her shoulder for emphasis.

Taking a sip of her morning orange juice, Serenity shook her head again and turned her head to meet Harry in the eye and gave a warm smile.

"I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you," Serenity whispered before pecking him on the lips, knowing full well what would happen next.

Ducking her head, she focused her attention back onto her plate and began eating, trying to stifle the grin that wanted to appear on her face. She knew how easily embarrassed Harry was when it came to public displays of affection.

And sure enough, Harry had dropped his arm from around her shoulder, a blush making its way onto his cheeks. If he wanted to appear inconspicuous, it was all for naught when Hermione noticed something was amiss and had turned her attention away from Ron.

"Harry, you're red. Are you coming down with something?" Hermione drew hand across the table and reached toward Harry, feeling his forehead.

Ginny and Neville, who had managed to see everything, grinned before bursting out in laughter, drawing attention over to their side of the table.

"Have you two gone bonkers?!" Ron stared, wide-eyed at the two.

"Oye, morning!" Dean and Seamus chorused, plopping themselves on their usual seat beside Neville, and stared, confused, at the two laughing Gryffindors and then toward Ron, before turning their attention over to Hermione and Harry.

"Did we miss something?" the two asked.

"Nothing much," Neville grinned widely, eyeing the still-flushed Harry Potter and the doting Hermione.

"It could very well be something!" Hermione reprimanded, "Harry… maybe we should send you over to Madame Pomfrey…"

"'Mione, I'm telling you I'm not sick!" Harry leaned back from his seat, trying to bring enough space between himself and Hermione.

Huffing, Hermione backed away but gave Harry her best glare.

"It's alright, Hermione, he's not ill," Ginny agreed, though she still couldn't help but giggle every few seconds.

"True, he isn't…" Neville chuckled.

"I don't know what the hell is going on anymore!" Ron sighed; he gave up on wondering what was going on and went back to his meal.

"Oh and why is that?" Hermione turned to the two.

"Sorry, 'Mione, I couldn't help it," Serenity piped up, managing to finish her plate and began dishing up her second helping.

Hermione blinked, albeit confused and stared at Serenity. After a few seconds she noticed the light blush on her cheeks and then turned her attention over to Harry – that's when it clicked and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Ah…" Hermione chuckled lightly and shook her head, "Oh really now, Harry…"

"You would think that after all this time…" Ginny quipped.

Harry sighed and glanced over at the silver-blond haired teenager. He was surprised at first, but it quickly turned into embarrassment. He couldn't help it; he was never that open with displays of affection. Who could blame him? He was raised by negligent Muggles! Throughout his years, he seriously never had experience with relationships. So when he began this… relationship with Serenity, it was all too new.

Even now, he was at a loss on how to act.

"It's been a little over two weeks, hasn't it?" Hermione noted, earning another blush from the new couple.

"Oh…" Dean and Seamus managed to catch on and saw how Lavendar and Parvati began gossiping and giggling to one another a few seats down. It would seem they had managed to hear the exchange, and were now conjuring up possible scenarios as to what had recently occurred between Serenity Moon and Harry Potter.

"It was just a kiss," Ginny rolled her eyes, "Nothing more than a peck, really…"

Serenity froze; her normally cheerful demeanor began to fade away. It wasn't intentional; she didn't mean to freeze up like she had. However, the innocent phrase was enough to send Serenity to forget about everything but Ginny's words.

_It was just a kiss_.

"Serenity? Serenity what's wrong?" Harry had immediately noticed the change and turned his attention fully upon her.

(…just a kiss…) Serenity's eyes began to tear up, her heart clenching at the innocent, yet hurtful phrase. It was the words that had brought her pain, but it was the same ones that brought her salvation.

And it all stemmed from one source – Draco Malfoy.

"Serenity, please…what happened?" Harry reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders, not knowing if his touch would affect her in any way. When he noticed that he didn't receive any negative reaction from her, he proceeded in trying to bring her back to consciousness.

(What was it that I said earlier…?) Serenity fell deeper into her memories, coaxing out scenes that she had buried for so long.

_Malfoy…_ _you are nothing more than a speck of dust_.

(Oh yeah…now I remember.) Serenity recalled and felt another clench of her heart

"Serenity…?" Harry tried again, and this time had gathered the attention of most of the Gryffindors while Flamel was debating whether or not to force a Calming Draught down Serenity's throat.

(Oh how I regret those words now more than ever…) Serenity raised a hand to her forehead, all the while trying to ignore the pain in her heart.

Sighing aloud, Serenity raised her head as she came to her senses and immediately noticed eyes focused on her in a mixture of apprehension and worry.

"Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione immediately inquired.

Blinking, Serenity stared in dazed confusion at the bushy haired witch before shaking her head in response. She didn't quite understand why Hermione asked such an abrupt question…

"You were out of it, Serenity," Ron filled in, noticing the confused look in her eyes, "Harry's been trying to get your attention for quite some time."

"I-I'm sorry," Serenity turned to worry-filled eyes, "It was…"

"Was it something I said?" Ginny tentatively asked.

Immediately, Serenity's eyes fell down onto her lap.

(They don't need this – not today. It's Ron's birthday, and I'm just making it worse by focusing it on me. I can deal with it, everything is fine… just fine.)

Shaking her head, she refused to comment and instead placed a smile on her lips.

"Nothing serious, Ginny," Serenity assured the fifth year, "It was only a comment that really shouldn't have gotten to me. I was being silly…"

"Oh, Serenity…" Hermione began but was cut off.

"No, Hermione. Really now, it's Ron's birthday! If we don't hurry, we'll be late for Herbology with the Hufflepuffs."

"I don't know…" Hermione said indecisively, knowing full well that Serenity was correct, but at the same time was greatly worried for her friend.

"I could care less either way," Ron added, taking a swig from his pumpkin juice, "If we skive off of classes, I'm all for it…"

"Ron Weasley, you are not missing Herbology even if it is your birthday!" Hermione all but roared, promptly getting up and managing to grab a handful of his robes as she pulled him off of his seat.

"Well that's one way of making Hermione stop nitpicking on you," Ginny lightly commented, staring at the retreating figures of the two Gryffindor sixth-years.

Chuckling, Neville wordlessly agreed before bending over and picking up Ron's book bag along with his.

"I should go after them; see you in class," Neville called out, setting off before he could hear their replies.

"We should get going," Serenity said, picking up her book bag and began walking off.

Harry, knowing that Serenity would refuse to say anything should he press, simply followed after, visible concern etched across his face.

Slowly, Harry reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently to let her know that he was there. He would always be there for her, whether she wanted him to or not. Nothing would change that.

And with great care, Serenity turned her head slightly and allowed a small smile on her face before squeezing in response.

_Everything is fine_.

For now, things would be fine, and hopefully it will remain that way throughout the rest of the day.

""""""""""""""

Hungry, Serenity dashed off for the Great Hall. Right after Herbology class she had hurried to the library and practically glued herself to a table near the back.

She didn't mean to react like this. She wanted the day to be pleasant for Ron's 17th birthday, but she couldn't help it. She just _knew_ that right after class Hermione would be jumping at the chance to question her, and so she ran.

(Just like your first day back, huh? It was just a coincidence that it was after the same class.) Serenity inwardly cringed at the memory of how afraid she had been.

(But there's a difference; this time you're not as afraid… you're not at fidgety. You're quite aware of your situation, you know what you're truly afraid of and…)

BAM!

Falling backwards, Serenity crashed onto the ground, cursing inwardly at how accident-prone she really was. She knew she shouldn't be running around the castle without looking at where she was going, but she was lost in thought and quite hungry. After all, she had cut her breakfast short.

"Oww…" Serenity whined, reaching for her book bag and proceeded to get up.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Ah, sorry sorry…" Serenity apologized, and turned toward the owner of the voice, needing to make sure that she hadn't incidentally caused any bodily harm.

Looking up, she stopped short of another spout of apologies and an explanation for the accident.

Before her was the object of her internal confusion and pain.

"D-Draco…" Serenity stuttered, feeling faint.

She had been avoiding Draco for so long now that she had almost forgotten that he still resided in the school. Whenever it was meal times she would place herself next to Harry, but made sure to _never_ stare at the Slytherin table, no matter how many times the conversations would fall onto them. During class times should Malfoy be there, she would place herself as far as possible from him. She would do almost anything to forget about him and his associates – the only Slytherins she ever conversed with nowadays were the lower years, who were sincere in their inquiries as to her well-being.

The last time she had spoken to him was that fateful day on January 9, right before she began a new attempt at a semi-normal life.

Happily enough, Draco seemed to have left her alone – until now.

"Serenity…" Draco replied calmly.

Flushing lightly, Serenity looked away. His cool voice echoed inside her mind and she remembered…

She remembered their moments, the intimacies, the kindness, the stolen kisses – everything. But before she could allow herself to revel in the warmth and the passion, she recalled the betrayal and the hurt…and swallowed it all back up.

He may have saved her from her prison, but she couldn't forget. She would not forget.

She would only break.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" a voice interrupted and Serenity shook the images away.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were coming toward them. Ron was red in the face, his hand imperceptibly close to his wand. Harry already had his wand in his grasp as he led the way and Hermione was the only one without hers, but Serenity knew she was still someone that no one should mess with once you angered her – she had heard the stories from other Gryffindors about the Prefect's temperament.

"Potter, Weasel…Granger, what a nice surprise," Draco drawled, tearing his eyes away from Serenity.

"Don't make me repeat myself again, Malfoy," Harry growled dangerously low.

Scoffing, Draco eyed Harry and his comrades with a sneer of distaste before answering.

"I don't need to answer the likes of you."

"I swear Malfoy, if you hurt…" Ron warned.

"Oh please, Weasel…" Malfoy waved the red-head off, "Moon is unharmed. There's no need to get your knickers in a twist. It's not like I'd want anything from her."

Turning around, he began walking away right after waving for Crabbe and Goyle to follow him.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Harry immediately inquired after making sure that Malfoy had no intention of coming back.

"I'm fine, Harry…"Serenity assured, tiptoeing up to peck him on the lips in greeting.

"If you're sure," Harry sighed in relief, wrapping his arms around her in a small embrace.

"I'm sure," Serenity smiled lightly before backing away from him, "Now let's get going. I'm starving!"

Ron agreed wholeheartedly and took up his spot up front as he led the way.

""""""""""

Lunch so far was a normal, cheerful affair. Hermione did not question her about her odd reaction after Herbology class, Ron acted as if everything was completely fine, and Harry simply sat next to her as he conversed with his Gryffindor peers. All in all, they acted as if nothing happened. And Serenity was glad as she scooped up another serving of braised lamb onto her plate.

"What should we do after lunch, you guys?" Serenity asked, "There's no class for the rest of the day."

"Hogsmeade!" Ron piped up, "Or Diagon Alley. I'm sure that if we can convince the Headmaster…"

"Oh, Ronald. I don't think the Headmaster would…"

"Why not, 'Mione? It is my…"

"Just because it's your _birthday_, does not give you the power…"

Harry and Serenity exchanged carefully concealed laughter at the banter Hermione and Ron played out, while Neville nervously moved down a few seats in case their argument turned out for the worse.

"They might as well just snog the living daylights out of each other," Ginny commented, rolling her eyes as Hermione and Ron grew steadily closer, faces flushed as their fight moved on to something more personal.

"Everyone can see that they fancy each other," Seamus put in, grinning at the two.

"Nothing more than a raging sexual drive, those two," Neville actually said, a bit more loudly than he intended.

This caught the attention of Hermione and Ron as the duo shifted their attention onto Neville.

"_What_ did you just say?" the two bit out in a low growl.

Eyes widening, Neville looked around, silently asking for help and gulped when he found that his seat mates nearby had mysteriously disappeared.

"M-me? No-nothing," Neville squeaked.

"Oh, come off it, you two," Harry stepped in, noticing how pale Neville looked.

"Neville didn't say anything that wasn't true," Ginny snickered.

"Ginevra Molly Weasly!" Surprisingly both Hermione and Ron managed to say this at once, voices synchronized down to the same intonation and manner of inflection.

"It's true. Short of locking you two in a broom closet, we're not sure how else you two will finally get together!" Harry continued.

"Yeah, you two already lost me 5 bloody Galleons!" a Gryffindor down the table exclaimed.

Hermione gaped, appalled at the thought of betting but quickly turned it into a furious blush.

"Is that bet still going on?" Serenity whispered aloud.

"Sorry mate, bets are all closed," Dean stated.

"You guys are betting on us?!" Ron shook off the shock and glared furiously at Dean.

"What else are we going to do in our spare time?" Seamus quipped.

"I can't believe this! My own roommates!" Ron wailed.

"Oh shut it, Ron. Just admit that you fancy Hermione, kiss her, and be done with it so we can all be one…" Ginny exasperated.

"You're only saying that because you placed 2 Galleons and 5 sickles for this week," Serenity mentioned as she leaned close to Dean, reading a rather crumpled looking parchment over his shoulder.

Ginny nervously smiled at his glowering brother, "Now, now Ron – remember, it's your big day today…"

Before Ron or Hermione could do anything to the fifth year, a loud scream echoed from outside the Great Hall. Furious whispers began flying back and forth between students as the faculty exchanged looks before leaving their posts, wanting to know what commotion awaited them.

"Please continue with your meal, there is nothing to worry about," the Headmaster announced, walking with his Head of Houses accompanied by a few Aurors.

As the doors swung open Peeves could be seen, his normally quirky attitude was replaced by nervousness.

"Peeves, I shoulda known!" Hagrid exclaimed from the staff table.

"Headmaster, Headmaster!" Peeves exclaimed, agitated but a lot calmer now that the Headmaster has made his presence known to the poltergeist.

"What is it, Peeves?" Dumbledore asked, his aura radiating tranquility amongst the staff and students.

"The lich, the icky icky lich is back and worse than ever before! No ghost, no students, no one is safe from it! No, sir!" Peeves exclaimed as he shifted his eyes.

"The lich is here?" McGonagall demanded, feeling dread.

"It attacked one of the ghosts haunting near the dungeons!"

At this new bit of news, students turned to one another wondering if such a feat could be possible.

"A ghost. A lich can attack a ghost? Impossible!"

"But don't you remember what happened four years ago?"

"…ly-Headless Nick!"

"Quiet, please!" the Headmaster turned around; eyes once vibrant and twinkling with merriment were now serious and troubled.

"Please Peeves, lead the way…" McGonagall said.

Nervously the poltergeist drifted away, possibly hoping against hope that he may survive the journey should the lich be there. Right before the door swung shut, the Headmaster announced for the other faculty members to investigate the rest of the school for any lingering students and to bring them back to the Great Hall. Prefects would monitor the assembled masses and for everyone to remain in the Great Hall until he or the Deputy Headmistress returns with news that everything is alright.

After leaving, everyone did as such whilst the Aurors conversed amongst themselves before leaving the Great Hall with other faculty members.

Back at Gryffindor table, Serenity watched the exchange curiously and with dread.

The lich had returned and apparently attacked a ghost. Had it also attacked other students in its way?

(Peeves saw it down at the dungeons…) Serenity frowned at the thought. Was the lich drawn to the darkness that dwelled the cold corridors?

As she continued with her line of thinking, her eyes carelessly passed over the student body before resting on the Slytherin table – something she had dared not do since her return. What she found there quickly filled her with growing dread.

(Dr-Malfoy!) Serenity gasped aloud, as she quickly scrambled onto her feet, ignoring the shouts of concern from her friends.

She did not know why, nor did she care, but when she found Draco Malfoy's missing figure on the Slytherin table, she reacted. Running, Serenity pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, managing to evade the shouts of protest from faculty members and an Auror that caught sight of her. Once outside she set out with only one destination in mind – to Draco Malfoy.

Harry and the others didn't know what to think. One minute everything was completely fine, and then the announcement about the lich arriving dampened their moods. But before they could even begin to converse with one another about the situation, Serenity jumped out of her seat and made her escape.

"What is wrong with her?!" Hermione cried out, following after Serenity.

"I have no idea, but we need to make sure she stays safe."

All Hermione, Harry, and Ron could do was chase after Serenity themselves. The others were left behind to stir up some trouble so they could sneak away, not a moment after Serenity had left did they increase the amount of staff to guard the doors.

"Where do you think she's gone off to?" Ron asked.

Glancing at Hermione and then toward Ron, Harry answered, "The Dungeons."

"What the bloody hell?! That's where the lich is!"

Not a moment after Ron had exclaimed that, they heard a sound of screams and a scrambling of feet before silence deafened the dark corridors.

"What do you think…?" Hermione began.

"Wands out?" Ron suggested and at once Harry and Hermione took theirs out.

Nearing the last step, it seemed as if time didn't matter – only the here and now. Wordlessly the trio took the last step, trying to blend into the shadows of the wall before Harry took the lead and peeked around the corner. What he saw froze him to the core.

Piles and piles of students littered the corridor. The ghost that Peeves must have spoken about floated, catatonic, and in mid-air. Taking a deep breath, Harry waved for his friends to come closer and as Hermione and Ron did so, a thump followed suit.

It would seem they have not reached their intended destination.

"I don't like this," Ron whispered as low as he dared to.

"You can go back if you want, Ron, but I'm going – Serenity's there."

"Besides, I'm sure the Headmaster is around here…" Hermione nervously added after Harry's proclamation.

Steeling themselves, the trio strode forward, carefully winding their way pass the unconscious students, and along the way about two Aurors.

"I hope they'll be fine," Hermione stuttered, feeling her eyes well up with tears as she passed an unconscious first year.

"I hope so too," Ron nodded in agreement with Harry, the redheaded Weasley reaching out and grabbing hold of Hermione's clammy hand to his own.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""

_Intra vires_ - Within the power


	19. Chapter 19

Title: Needed

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them whatsoever.

Modified: January 21, 2009

"""""""""""""""

Since Peeves had cried aloud about the newest attack, nothing short of fear and worry graced the overall population of Hogwarts. Aurors had fled, with the exception of the few who remained, to check the hallways and classrooms for any lingering students. Like the ones from the MLE, most of the professors had left alongside the experienced to find students. Though most, if not all, had been informed of the dangers when encountering the undead, it still served as a form of comfort for the students that the adults were doing _something_.

Yes, by now most of the students knew that the lich was practically unstoppable without the phylactery. And amazingly enough, students still stayed in school. Whether it was out of sheer stubbornness or hope, no one knew. But at the moment, they lingered in the Great Hall, glancing from time to time at the closed doors, waiting for some sign, any sign at all.

An hour passed.

Students drew in another breath and looked.

The doors remained closed, and still they waited.

""""""""""""

Dumbledore had led the Heads of Houses and 3 Aurors down to the Dungeons. Peeves had nervously showed the way, but still lingered behind the brave, yet foolish Headmaster. He may have been claimed as a powerful wizard, but the poltergeist was skeptical about the old coot going against an undead that could not be killed without its phylactery.

And one that had just been through a feast.

Just minutes ago, they had gone through a whole corridor littered with unconscious students, Aurors, and a ghost. As much as the professors wanted to stop and take care of them, the Headmaster along with the Aurors had forced all of them to continue with their pursuit of the lich.

"Wait," Peeves whispered to the Headmaster.

"I-I sense…" Peeves' eyes widened, feeling the familiar tingles going through his ghostly corpse and shuddered, "_him!_ He's here!"

But before Peeves could begin to make his escape, a shockwave of power overcame the group.

The stench of fresh blood and sweat mingled with fear; a palpable aroma that hung throughout the Dungeons. Bodies upon bodies littered the hallway and those that still stood were frozen in shock, horror – and most of all, fear. As much as everyone wished to move, to cry, to express some type of _emotion_, they could not. All that they could do was stand and play like ragged dolls to their guest – the one everyone knew as the lich.

The gaunt, skeletal humanoid drifted along the corridor. His withered flesh was apparent even under the low flames from the torches that hung against the cold, stone walls. Eyes that must have once held so much life were now long ago lost to decay. Bright pinpoints of crimson light, however, could be seen dancing within those empty sockets.

The aura of fear that the lich was known for, overcame the group. Pomona Sprout was the first to fall, her wand falling from her shaking hand before darkness enveloped her. Filius Flitwick followed by Minerva McGonagall struggled to hang onto consciousness, determined not to let the fear shroud them. For a few seconds they had succeeded, managing to cast a few stunners toward the Dark Creature, but it only further enraged the lich, and soon they, too, fell to darkness.

The only ones that managed to stay conscious were Dumbledore and Snape, the three Aurors having long since fallen to the creature's power. Peeves had stilled under the lich's fear-infested aura and as the lich drew closer, the two remaining wizards had tried to delay the creature from coming any closer than it already had.

"Headmaster, we must take our leave," Snape roughly said, his throat going dry as a terrible cold covered the dank corridor.

"I am afraid, Severus, that we cannot do that," Dumbledore replied, sweat beginning to form from his brow.

"What are you…?" Snape was cut off as the lich finally descended on Peeves, a wave of darkness surrounding the two figures, and over their heads was a ball of black, purple, and white.

Time seemed to have slowed down as Dumbledore and Snape remained still, watching the sickening exchange as the lich continued to suck the very magic and essence of their resident poltergeist. It was disgusting; it was wrong, but neither one knew how to stop the creature as they helplessly continued to watch the scene.

""""""""""

Draco Malfoy had bore witness to the horrible scene of watching his friends, his roommates, and his peers fall in front of him. He had even been privy to see the few Aurors that monitored the corridors fall after trying to protect the students. And though he had watched these scenes just an hour beforehand, he had thankfully remained safely holed away in a niche that the lich had missed. He had remained frozen like the others when the lich first appeared, and had continuously hoped the Dark Creature would not see him. When the lich had passed, heading for another unwilling victim, relief had unexpectedly engulfed his senses so much that he had fallen to his feet.

Now, the Slytherin Prince wandered the corridor, unbelievably pale. No matter which way he turned there would be a student on the ground that he would need to step over to get to the other side. It unnerved him, never had he seen so many bodies like this before, and he was unsure of what to do. All he could think of at the moment was to find his way back, and notify Madame Pomfrey.

What else was there for him to do? He wasn't a Mediwizard.

Stepping over another body, Draco turned the corner and was suddenly encircled by a wave of cold and fear. Stumbling, he gripped onto his wand, his jaw clenched as he struggled not to falter. Furiously, he gripped onto the cold, stone wall for support and looked for the source of this power.

It was undeniably the lich, and in front of the creature a beam of hope wormed into his heart, his gray eyes spotting his godfather with the Headmaster.

"S-Severus," Draco gasped out.

Shortly thereafter another rush of power emitted from the creature as it turned around, focusing its attention on him. The onslaught of power was unbearable, and Draco staggered.

Short gasps escaped his mouth, the aura swelling inside of him, clenching his heart.

Looking up, his last sight was the lich coming toward him. In the distance he glimpsed the flitter of surprise cross his godfather's face. And as his eyes began to drift shut, he heard a familiar voice shouting, yelling, and sounding distraught.

Finally, darkness fell and Draco Malfoy knew no more.

""""""""""""

"Draco!" Serenity frantically cried out, spotting him once she heard his voice.

The lich had heard him and began making his way towards the staggering white-blond Slytherin.

"Stay away from him!" Serenity shouted, panic filling her heart.

She had just arrived in time to witness this horrible event transpire. She had expected to find the Slytherin already unconscious - not this. She did not want to witness Draco Malfoy's attack.

Fortunately, two hexes suddenly shot out from Dumbledore and Snape, but fell short as it closed in on the lich. It only served to further enrage it.

The lich now held Draco by the front of his robes, the familiar glow appearing once again.

(No – no!) Serenity clutched her wand, staring in desperation at the sight before her.

"Stop!" Serenity aimed her wand, willing with all of her heart to stop the lich.

A bright, white light burst forth – and to the surprise of those who are conscious – withstood the sight of the spell hitting the lich. Surprisingly, the lich let out a strangled gasp once the spell collided, dropping Malfoy's prone form onto the ground. In anger, the lich turned around and hissed.

"You!"

"Stay away from him," Serenity repeated, not allowing herself to waver no matter how much she desperately wanted to run away.

The lich looked down at the boy before returning his attention back to the girl. The withered flesh on his skeletal face stretched as he permitted himself a smirk - an idea forming in his head.

"Give me the stone."

"The stone?" Serenity stared at the lich in confusion.

"The stone for the boy," the lich asserted.

Serenity silently processed the lich's demands before recalling an event not too long ago and her eyes lighted in remembrance. The pendant from before…

Without a word, Serenity stuck her hand into the pocket of her robes and withdrew the black opal, feeling the overbearing Dark magic emanate from the pendant. Ever since her return to Hogwarts, she felt compelled to having the dark artifact close to her at all times. And it would seem that her instincts were correct – the object is important and has proven to be useful.

Looking up from the stone, she noticed how unusually focused the lich was – not on her person or his hostage's prone form, but on the opal. Taking a deep breath, Serenity pocketed the stone and summoned as much strength and courage for what she would do next.

"It's the phylactery…"

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, observing through his spectacles while gripping his wand tightly in his right hand. Snape growled softly, torn between wanting to run toward his godson and helping Moon in protecting the stone.

"Ms. Moon it would be wise for you to take the stone and go," Dumbledore strongly advised, his tone low and firm.

"Headmaster…" Serenity did not dare leave her attention from the lich, but she paled at the Headmaster's decision.

Sacrificing the life of Draco Malfoy for the phylactery was difficult. A life in return for the student body, for the professors, and for the Aurors would be the path the Headmaster wanted her to take.

(Draco…) Serenity came here, to this place, for him and him alone. Despite everything that Malfoy had done to her, she came here out of her own freewill. It clearly meant something, didn't it?

Feeling her will crumble she bit the bottom of her lip and shook her head, denying the decision that the old man wanted her to take.

"Foolish girl," Snape harshly reprimanded, his eyes narrowing. Even though he strongly cared for his godson, he would not sacrifice the lives of hundreds in return!

"I cannot…"

"The stone, girl…" the lich repeated and began to glow the familiar dark color as he made to grab the boy once more.

(No…) Serenity gulped, and released another spell toward the creature.

Surprisingly enough, however, she was not alone when she released the spell. Three other spells sailed through, combining with Serenity's and together they hit their intended target, earning a hiss of pain from the lich.

"Sorry we're late."

"I can't believe we just saved Malfoy from being sucked by that bloody thing."

"Ron!"

Dumbledore didn't waste time as he watched the lich turn his attention away from the Slytherin. Wordlessly, the Headmaster flicked his wand towards the unconscious teenager and magically carried him to rest beside him.

"You shouldn't have run away like that, Serenity."

"You could count on us, mate."

"Why am I not surprised?" Snape dryly stated.

"Serenity," Harry softened his gaze, allowing Serenity to see the worry in his eyes. At the sight, Serenity cast her head aside and lightly blushed. She had forgotten everything about Harry, and her friends, when she found out that Draco was not in the Great Hall. She felt as if she betrayed his feelings for her.

"Harry…"

With a small smile, Harry entwined his fingers with hers and held it, giving her a comforting squeeze of comfort.

"It's okay," Harry whispered.

"Worthless…" the lich hissed and began glowing a deep ebony color, "If you will not give me the stone then I will just pry it from you cold, dead fingers."

"Are you ready?" Harry asked and managed to get a squeeze in response, "Then let's do this."

"Just like practice?" Serenity summoned enough strength and turned her head to meet Harry.

Looking at the glowing lich and then seeing his friends with Dumbledore and Snape fighting together, Harry lightly smiled.

"No, not at all," Harry gazed at the confusion on Serenity's face and grinned, "It's easier, much easier."

Grinning, Serenity nodded and together with their fingers entwined, the two Gryffindors began a chant. The phylactery Serenity carried glowed in response as it lifted itself from the girl's robe and hovered right in front of the two Gryffindors. Closing their eyes the two shifted together, fluid and without trouble, never once doubting their trust for their partner as they combined their power, their strength, and their magic.

Just a few feet away the lich witnessed the sight unfolded before him. As much as he tried to get close to the site, his opponents fought to keep him away.

A white light exploded in the Dungeon corridor. A shriek of rage followed after.

And as the light faded away, the two Gryffindors remained unscathed, the phylactery no longer present within their vicinity. Silence reigned momentarily as everyone assessed one another's current status. But it was not long lived as the lich remained standing - proud and strong.

Anger was clear as his aura grew and grew until finally a blast was sent forth, filling the whole area, sending everyone to fly across.

"You will truly know my wrath."

""""""""""""""

Another hour had passed and still everyone waited, though no longer as calmly as before. Anxious whispers filled the tables, not limiting themselves to their own Houses. Professors that left with other Aurors to patrol the other floors had returned. And those that were brave enough had dragged themselves to the Dungeons only to return hurriedly, bringing Madame Pomfrey with them. These people had yet to return.

BANG!

The doors to the Great Hall burst open and then closed behind the new figure, revealing a familiar silver-blond haired maiden dressed in the customary Gryffindor colors. The teenager slowly walked forward, not limping, not hurrying, and simply taking one step after the other with familiar ease. All conversation stopped when they noticed the new student and realized who it was that just came in.

"Serenity!" Neville, Ginny, Dean, and Seamus sprang up from their seats overjoyed to see their friend return.

Along the way, whispers turned into excitement as cheers flowed merrily throughout the Great Hall, glad that one of their peers had returned apparently safe and unharmed.

"I'm so glad that you're alright!"

"Did you see Harry? Is he okay? What about Hermione and Ron?"

"We were so worried!"

"They just ran out right after you. No idea at all…"

"Are you hurt, do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?"

Question after question burst forth from the Gryffindors as they practically ran up to the stoic young woman. However, right before they could reach her, Perrier Flamel stopped the group as he strode pass them and blocked the way with his arms thrown in front of him, wand in hand. His gesture surprised the whole room, everyone unsure as to why he was reacting this way. Out of everyone in the room, Professor Flamel was the one most seen with the teenager aside from Harry Potter.

Why would he act so cautiously, so defensively towards the Gryffindor?

"Professor what are you doing?" One of the students asked aloud.

Still it was ignored as the green eyed man stood, locking his gaze on Serenity's form as the girl continued to walk up until Professor Flamel waved his wand, sending a spell to stop her. His action brought cries of distress not only from the students as a whole, but to the Professors and Aurors as well.

"What are you doing?"

"Are you insane?"

"Serenity, are you alright?"

"Merlin help us our professor has gone bonkers!"

By now Ginny and Neville accompanied by Dean and Seamus had their wands out, beginning to aim a _Petrificus Totalus_ toward their Defense Professor. Other students and faculty members noticed as well, and silently agreed not to do anything about this. It was unheard of to have several students at once attacking their professor publicly, but then again, the same held true when a professor would hold a wand against a student.

"You're not Serenity."

His statement held no question; he was blunt and to the point, holding no doubt as he stood steadfast. Although his words caused most of the room to pause, the one whom almost everyone deemed as Serenity took another step forward.

"I will not allow you to come closer."

Ignoring the man's warning, Serenity stepped forward. Holding to his word, Flamel swiftly brought his wand down, his green eyes fierce and words deep in pitch. A swirl of black, purple, and green darted forward and slammed toward the girl. A mesh of smoke, a crackle akin to the sound of a boom echoed throughout the room, and as the smoke died down everyone gazed in disbelief at the sight that greeted them.

Serenity still stood, unfazed, and the only difference now was the clothing she wore, smoke sizzling from the now-burnt clothing. Gasps drew out from the crowd as a number of faculty members and Aurors strode forward, not knowing who to support at this point in time. Apparently, something was off with the teenager, but she _is_ a student of Hogwarts, isn't she?

"Professor, I can't believe…."

"That spell – it had to be Dark, wasn't it?"

"What the hell just happened?!"

On and on, students began to converse with one another. Yet Flamel continued to watch as Serenity took another step forward, this time fixing her gaze solely on the one who dared to hit her with an unknown spell.

Looking at the teenager, Flamel took the time to carefully observe her. To anyone else, this _thing_ looked remarkably like his princess. She had the same height, weight, and hair color. However, to him she was nothing but an empty shell.

Her eyes were what he immediately took notice of upon her entrance, and he immediately knew this was not Serenity Moon. Her eyes were vacant, a dull color that was so empty that she might as well not have any pupils. It was different from the first time she returned; back then her eyes may have been dull, but there was still a semblance of life left no matter how insignificant it was, no matter how defeated she may have been. But this, _this_ thing was nowhere close to his Serenity – this was, to his knowledge, simply an animation of what she is, and not the genuine article.

The others may not have noticed, but he did, and he will do all he can to protect them should this entity prove to be dangerous.

"What do you want with us? What – or who – are you after?"

Serenity stilled at his words and quietly observed the Professor before smirking, a slow, and cruel leer that caused any and all students to widen their eyes. Never in their time at Hogwarts had they seen such a cold, twisted face appear on Serenity Moon. Now that they saw this, they began to quietly whisper and wonder amongst themselves whether or not this really was Serenity Moon.

"Serenity."

Confusion immediately ran rampant throughout the Great Hall; while Flamel and the Gryffindors behind him darkened their faces at "Serenity's" acquiesce.

Gripping his wand tighter in hand, Flamel glared and prepared himself, "I won't allow you to get to her."

Without hesitation, Flamel threw the next spell off his lips. What he didn't expect, but welcomed nonetheless were the other spells coming from nearby students at neighboring tables. Aurors and Professors, likewise, joined in. All the spells sailed through, though quite a bit missed. Smoke and debris filled the air, and as the dust cleared a startled gasp and exclamation rang throughout the Great Hall once more.

The imposter still stood, but much more damaged than before. "Serenity" was obviously not the real deal. The imposter stood, back straight, but marred. Numerous cutting hexes damaged its outer appearance, half of her hair was burnt while the other half became missing, and her left arm was now absent. One would expect blood to be spilling from her missing arm, but surprisingly enough none dripped. Instead, it was simply gone and was already corroding as she stood there. It was perfectly obvious to anyone's eyes that they were not dealing with a normal creature.

"What the hell is it?" Several students muffled out in cries of dismay, sending the younger years to cry openly as they felt completely helpless by this revelation.

Then as if things could not get any worse, the Great Hall's doors crumbled to the ground, earning startled gasps of surprise. In its wake, three other charlatans posing as Serenity came inside. Each one of the imposters was holding an Auror as if he or she was nothing more than a doll, blood staining their clothing and their own bodies respectively. With an impassive look on each of their faces, they threw the bloodied and broken bodies down on the ground and stepped over them, each Serenity taking one long look at the gathered mass before joining their damaged brethren, forming a line.

"Oh, shit…" Ginny could be heard clearly, and everyone internally agreed.

"Give us Serenity."

"Give us Potter."

"Give us the stone."

The four imposters intoned, synchronizing perfectly with one another as they stepped forward. And as they came closer, each resident of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could not help but think –

"Bloody Hell." Seamus cursed.

"""""""""""""

The lich was not as easy as Harry had first deemed. Yes, the phylactery was destroyed. However, instead of having an expected result of the creature fleeing, the lich instead had become incensed with killing them all.

As a result, Professor Snape was now nursing his wand arm while flinging spell after spell towards the humanoid creature with Dumbledore, while trying to protect his unconscious godson.

Hermione and Ron were dodging the creature's unknown spells before Ron unexpectedly tripped over one of his professors and fell down. Another spell was hurled toward him, and Hermione screamed in fear.

""""""""""""

Serenity and Harry had seen the confounded mess that the lich was creating. He was using his fear aura to make everything seem like a desperate attempt, while at the same time attacking them with spells that even Dumbledore could not counteract. Spells that were so ancient, that they were lost to everyone save the lich himself, and he used it now to enhance the fears that he created. Snape and Dumbledore were already in a corner, casting spell after spell, no matter how inane they were. Hermione and Ron had given up spell casting and resorted to running around the corridor, trying to keep the lich's attention occupied on them so that their professor and headmaster may damage the creature. Everything was working, for the time being – that is, until Ron missed a step, and fell.

And thank Merlin that Serenity and Harry had those Defense training sessions with Professor Flamel. With their conjoined hands, they tried the spell they had yet to use on a living _creature_.

"_Ibi concordia, ibi vitam,_

_Dum spiramus tuebimur,_

_Viva voce._"

The incantation and intonation of their voices combined – intense and beautiful in its own right as the two glowed brightly in the dark hallway. Their aura appearing to life, surrounding the two in a mist of gray and white before their joined hands rose to the air.

"_Reducto Maxima."_

An enlarged version of the _Reducto_ curse appeared, whipping through the air and slammed toward the intended target. Upon meeting, the lich let out a startled screech as the painful curse hit him. Upon hearing the scream, Snape and Dumbledore wasted no time in hitting the lich with all they had, taking advantage of his momentary weakness. Hermione, likewise, did the same and all three hit the lich at once.

"_Sectumsempra_"

"_Stupefy_"

"_Relego_"

Combined, the spells made up a flurry of colors as they made an impact towards the humanoid creature. Ron let out a strangled gasp once the smoke cleared, being the closest one to the creature, and saw it still standing. At first, everyone began to tense up again, even Serenity and Harry who were overcome with the after effects of their wandless spell casting. However, after a few tense moments, the creature collapsed onto the ground – smoke beginning to seep out of its skeletal figure as it began to decay.

"That was…" Ron began to say, but was stopped when Hermione flew towards him, tears in her eyes as she enveloped the redheaded boy in an embrace.

Through tear-streaked eyes, Hermione kissed the baffled redheaded boy, his blue eyes widened at first before he returned her kiss. Soon, the two Gryffindors were lost in the moment, caught up in their own private world of momentary bliss.

Tiredly, Serenity fell onto the ground with Harry right beside her, their hands still entwined. Their energy was well-spent, their magical powers combined managed to send the dark creature from whence it came – hopefully to never return.

Sighing, Serenity turned to Harry and was surprised to see him looking at her with such impassivity. It was a closed expression he often used on other students with whom he was not close to, and it frightened her that he was using it on her now.

"H-Harry?" Serenity quietly asked, concern clearly flashing across her face.

The closed expression thankfully crumbled after her words, and a relieved smile appeared on his face as he pulled her close to him, despite his exhaustion. With a small smile, he embraced her.

"I was afraid we wouldn't make it on time," Harry croaked out, as he tiredly leaned his body on her.

"I'm sorry," Serenity whispered, and turned her head to the side, catching sight of the tender moment between Ron and Hermione.

Ron and Hermione were now talking to one another, but had yet to let the other go. It would seem that their relationship had now officially begun, clearly brought on by the fact that Hermione believed she was about to lose Ron should the spell have made an impact on the redhead.

The Professors and Aurors had yet to awaken from their ordeal, and Dumbledore was momentarily tending to them. Off to the side, Serenity watched as Professor Snape bent down and carefully picked up Draco Malfoy off of the floor. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she forced her head to turn away, burying her head into Harry's shoulder.

(If only I had reacted sooner…Selene, I almost lost him!) Serenity furiously berated herself, clutching furtively at Harry's robes.

"I will go on ahead, Headmaster. The others should be waking up soon," Serenity could hear Professor Snape address the man and forced herself to look up.

There, no farther than ten feet was Professor Snape, holding a still-unconscious Draco Malfoy close to his chest, speaking in low but clear tones to the Headmaster. And as if sensing her gaze, both men turned to stare at her. Blushing at the state she was in, Serenity moved away from the Boy-Who-Lived and made to stand up.

"Thank you," Snape said after a moment's silence.

Shock rang throughout the hallway; conversation stopped between Ron and Hermione as they simultaneously turned their head to stare at the Professor, rendering Harry to freeze up as he heard the man's words.

"You could have run away with the stone, sacrificing my godson in the process, but you did not. For that, I thank you," Snape reiterated, and nodded his head towards her before walking away, his godson cradled closely to his person.

"You might want to take him back to your chambers, Severus. Poppy will most likely be attending to the more serious cases," the Headmaster called out.

Once the Potions Professor was out of sight, Serenity carefully turned her head around to see Harry and noticed that he had that closed expression once again. But it did not last long this time around as he brought her close to him and bent down to kiss the top of her forehead before releasing her.

"You can still catch him, if you want," Harry earnestly stated, surprising her.

She felt torn at his words, wanting to pacify the raven-haired boy by staying by his side and at the same time taking him for his word. She wanted to run after the Potions professor to make sure that Draco Malfoy really is alive. She desperately wanted confirmation, but did not know what would result from this if she chose to leave Harry behind. Closing her eyes, she calmed herself before opening them back up again, and saw Harry's intense green eyes gazing at her with such softness, with such affection that she could not bear the thought of walking away from him – not now, not ever.

"Harry…" Serenity began, but paused when Harry pulled her close and pressed his lips over hers.

It was soft, earnest, and endearing all the same. There was so much compassion, so much life and honesty as his lips touched hers. It was different, yet it felt familiar to when Draco kissed her. And for a moment, she did not know what to do or how to react. But as time drew on, she slowly responded in kind – timid at first, before she became used to his presence, to his touch, to his lips.

His presence was comforting, so warm – they fit together. As he touched her, whether with his lips, his hands, or his whole body it did not matter. With Harry holding her, it was as if he truly cared, as if she was the only one meant for him and she allowed herself to believe it. It was as if, to Harry, she was precious. And his lips – so soft, so sweet, so alluring – made her feel incredible and perfect. With this one kiss, she managed to lose herself to his charms.

And when it ended, a blush marred both cheeks, neither one knowing what to do or say to each other. It was the first time either one initiated a kiss as intimate as that. They shared small kisses here and there, but never had they gone as far as they had.

And for the life of her, Serenity could not figure out as to why. And she was not sure she wanted to.

Just then a hand grabbed onto hers and Serenity looked up to see Harry, his bruised lips upturned into a small, shy smile. His eyes flashed with pain, understanding, and compassion. It was those eyes, those deep emerald green eyes that caught her, and she felt a clench in her chest as she continued to stare at Harry Potter. She dreaded it as much as she anticipated his next course of action.

"I care about you, Serenity, never doubt that, but I think I have always known that – there was something missing between us."

Serenity stared in confusion at Harry, not believing his words.

"We were together, but not really _together_. I would wait forever for you, Serenity, but I know as much as you do, that your heart does not belong to me."

"Harry, why are you doing this?" Serenity choked out, and held his hand tightly, "We-we could just…"

"I had my suspicions about what happened when you disappeared, and then I found out Malfoy partook in your rescue. But tonight, it just confirmed that – your actions says it all."

"He _betrayed _me, Harry. How can… I don't think I can trust him, not after that," Serenity insisted, and then felt Harry's familiar warmth as he hugged her.

Together they made a heartbreaking, yet endearing sight as the Professors and Aurors woke up and found themselves witnessing the pair embrace one another as if either one would break. The Headmaster waved them off while Ron and Hermione stood around, unsure of what to do or say.

"Then have him earn your trust. Love is never simple and it is never easy." Harry whispered into the crook of her neck, "I love you, Serenity."

(Love – never once in our time together has he dared say that word around me. And now, when he does…) Serenity felt loss and confused.

"I love you, but I know after today that you love _him_." Harry stated, and held her tightly before releasing her.

Seeing her standing there, unsure of what to do or say, Harry smiled tenderly though painfully, "Don't worry about me, Serenity."

"Now go to him, you've already wasted enough time as it is," Harry goaded, and Serenity blushed lightly before taking off, heading for the direction she had last seen Professor Snape in.

Once she was gone, Harry tipped his head back, suppressing the tears that wanted to fall right there and then. It was difficult, but he did it. He had to – he couldn't let her stay with him, knowing that she would never love him the way he wanted her to. He did not want to be in a relationship that held any doubts, and with Malfoy in the picture, he was sure something would occur.

No, he would let her go. And if she happened to come back to him, no longer uncertain about their relationship – he would welcome her. For now, he would wait.

But if she does not come back…

"Harry?" Hermione hesitantly approached the brooding boy, and Harry wiped away some of the tears that managed to escape his eyes. Turning around, he saw Hermione and Ron standing, worry apparent on their facial expressions.

"Are you alright, mate?"

"I'm fine," Harry forced a small smile on his face, but it was not lost on either one of them. Nevertheless they smiled back and approached him, Hermione squeezing his hand in support.

(All I can do is move forward.)

"""""""""""

Serenity ran. Twists and turns, her heart was racing, her breathing becoming more labored, but she kept on running. It was all she could do; there was no other way to catch up to the older man.

Thankfully, she did catch up in time to see him. He stood there in front of his supposed portrait hole, with a now-conscious Draco Malfoy by his side. Both men looked tired, Draco more so as he leaned against the stone wall for support. As she came closer, Professor Snape looked up with mild surprise and turned to address the younger woman.

"Miss Moon, how may I help you this evening?" Professor Snape addressed, and feigned ignorance as he noticed Draco blink in surprise and turn his head to watch her. Never once since his awakening had he caught anything of remote interest until now.

"Ah, Professor may I have a moment with Dr-Mr. Malfoy?" Serenity stumbled over her words, and blushed at her mistake. Luckily enough, Professor Snape did not comment on her slip-up, and instead lifted an elegant brow before nodding in acquiesce.

"Very well," Professor Snape said and turned to his portrait and leaned in, whispering his password. As the portrait swung open wordlessly, he turned to regard the two teenagers.

"Should you need anything, I shall be inside. I expect you, Draco, to come in once your conversation is finished. Have a good day, Ms. Moon," Professor Snape drawled before stepping inside, but before the portrait could close, he paused and turned to regard his godson, "And I expect you to thank Ms. Moon for her inexplicitly good deed, Draco."

After that, he left, and the portrait wordlessly slammed shut, leaving the two in relative peace.

"I never would have imagined that Professor Snape could be – cordial," Serenity uncomfortably said, breaking the silence.

Draco remained silent, unsure of what to do or how to react.

It was odd how all of this came about. Earlier that day, it was by chance that they met up in the hallway. He took advantage of Serenity's obvious plan in avoiding him. He had left her alone, and tried his best to avoid her.

However, fate had other plans, and had drawn them together. When they saw each other again, he didn't know what to say or do. Thus, he did what he had to do – he acted nonchalant. It was painful for him to act as if there was nothing special about her – he had obviously taken her for granted. So when he left, he had overheard Potter's comment and it hurt.

_He didn't hurt you, did he?_

(Yeah, right, Potter!) Draco sarcastically answered in the back of his mind.

He had learned his lesson, after noticing how much he really missed the girl. He had seen how broken she was the night of her return, and he never wanted to see that again. If it meant that he could never attain the same relationship he had with her before this mess, then so be it. If it meant that he had to keep himself away from her, then it's fine. Just as long as he never had to see that defeated expression on her face and know that he caused her that pain.

"Draco," Serenity closed her eyes and sighed. It would seem that this was going to be harder than she thought.

"Serenity," Draco tried his best to appear as indifferent as he could, and surprisingly enough had managed to pass it off despite his protesting and tired limbs.

"I'm glad that you're safe," Serenity said sincerely, and dared to step forward, causing the Slytherin Prince to suppress his surprise.

He never anticipated Serenity to say those words. He half-expected her to hit him, or cause him some form of pain, but never this. He did not deserve her sentiments – never again, not after what he did to her.

But now that he heard her, he did not know what to do. He, Draco Malfoy, was stunned. What was he supposed to say? What was her expectation of him now?

"""""""""""""

Serenity stood still, observing the still indifferent Slytherin. It would seem that this was harder than she thought. She did not know why she even ran all the way here, why she insisted in pursuing Malfoy, why she felt the _need_ to see him. She just did, and now that she was here and in front of him she did not know what to do.

(I shouldn't be here.) Serenity shook her head and turned around.

(It was foolish to think that…)

"I better…" Serenity began to formulate her excuse. It would be best to just leave things be. As much as she believed herself to care for the Slytherin Prince, there was no way that –

"I missed you." Draco softly uttered, the first string of words coming out of his mouth aside from her name since her arrival, and it made her pause.

His tone was soft, unlike his usual drawl or cold indifference. And his words alone already made her feel as if a heavy burden lightened in the recess of her heart. She felt as if he _cared_.

Turning her head, she saw a rare sight that made her stop her breath and caused her heart to skip a beat – Draco Malfoy vulnerable. His expression was not impassive, not angry, not jealous, but sincere. His stormy gray eyes were soft; his facial contours were set in a way that seemed to beg her to forgive him, even though he was not asking it of her. She could not help but relent.

She may not fully forgive him for his betrayal, but maybe with time she could learn to trust him.

"I missed you, too."

And her heart soared. She watched as his expression change into one of surprise and then to a slow smile. It was not the patented Malfoy smirk that everyone almost-always sees, but a genuine smile born from the heart.

Slowly, languorously the Slytherin approached her. His steps were slow and laborious, but he eventually met her midway and she did so in turn. Hesitantly Malfoy made to touch her, and she let him but with a great deal of caution. Slowly, the two met, leaning against each other as if they were one.

"Serenity?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you save me?"

Serenity paused and then tilted her head up and looked at Draco's gray eyes, a small smile on her face.

"The same reason you chose to save me."

Serenity tilted her head up and captured Draco's lips, and kissed him. And it was like coming home – warm, soft and unyielding. The kiss was not intense, but still memorable. This time it was not a kiss born of desperation, but one of affection

It was all either of them needed from each other. There was no more need of words, they both knew, deep in their heart how the other truly felt.

They would face several trials and tribulations. Gryffindors may begin to waver in their opinion of the Gryffindor maiden. Slytherins will certainly cast their doubt on their favored Prince. The two will need to consistently try to stay together, against their peers, against most of the Wizarding World. But right now, right here, the two stood still in an ever-changing world basking in the warmth that they tenderly missed from one another. They had been apart for far too long, and for good reason.

Trust will be an issue, but they had time.

Mistakes were made, but no relationship is perfect.

Loyalties and strength of love will be tested. But they had already begun long before they were even together, and survived.

Nothing is perfect, but they will undoubtedly do their best.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""""

"_Ibi concordia, ibi vitam, _ "There is unity, there is life,

_Dum spiramus tuebimur,_ While we breathe, we shall defend

_Viva voce."_ With living voice."

"_Reducto Maxima."_ Large Diminish

"_Relego_"To send away.

I know a lot of people probably are disappointed with the Draco x Serenity pairing. But it was the inevitable choice given the reasons.

Who will lose and risk the most by being with Serenity? Draco.

He would be going against the beliefs instilled into him. He would be going against his father and Voldemort. I concede that Draco was the one who gave Serenity to Voldemort, but he risked a lot by choosing to save her. Perhaps out of guilt, but maybe it was more than that?

Just so people know – I had half-written forms of this story circling other pairings. They were nice, but it all game down to who fit the best based on the overall storyline.

Should it have been Harry x Serenity – here's the general idea.

Their love would have been unquestionable and strong. Having been based on friendship – it would have been sweet and picturesque. Together they would have learned to develop and grow as a pair.

Harry cares about Serenity enough to bring her out of her shell, and helped her heal.

Also for those wondering – yes, Harry still loves Serenity. Because of this, I am sorry to say that Harry will most likely not have someone in the future. The reverse could be said for Draco, if I made the pairing Harry x Serenity instead.


	20. Chapter 20

Title: Needed

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. I have no rights to them whatsoever.

Modified January 31, 2009.

"""""""""""""""""

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Hermione, I told you that I'm _fine_."

"I don't know, mate. That scene with Serenity…"

Harry let out a frustrated moan and turned to his two best friends. For the last ten minutes, Hermione and Ron had been expressing their concerns about his welfare. Although he had assured them several times already, they refused to relent.

In truth, their concern was comforting albeit annoying. He appreciated the fact that they were worried about him, but wanted to brood in peace.

"… I can't believe you let her go, mate." Harry heard Ron comment.

"I had to…" Harry sighed, ruffling his hair in the process.

"_Had_ to?" Ron croaked, obviously shocked by Harry's admission.

"Oh Harry," Hermione crooned, her chocolate brown eyes softening as she caught on to what Harry was saying.

"Yes, Ron – had to. Would you really keep Hermione if she was in love with someone else, and not with you?" Harry stated.

"What?!" Ron squawked, and looked at Hermione in shock, "Is this true?!"

"Ron, it was just a hypothetical question. Hermione's not in love with someone else – at least I don't think so," Harry sighed. Maybe having Ron try to understand where he was coming from was not a good idea.

"Harry's right, Ron. I'm not in love with someone else." Hermione quirked her lips in amusement.

"Oh, right." Ron blinked and backed off.

Silently, the redheaded Gryffindor Prefect thought about Harry's words and realized something.

"No – I wouldn't." Ron confessed, surprising the two.

"It wouldn't really be a real relationship if Hermione's heart already belonged to someone else. I would want her to be happy, ya know?" Ron shrugged.

"Ron…" Hermione smiled at the redheaded boy who flushed in response. She stepped closer to him and grabbed his callused hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. She knew she made the right choice by waiting for him all these years to return her feelings.

"You really love her, don't you?" Ron stated, more than asked.

"Yeah, I do."

Ron sighed aloud, shaking his head in the process.

"But really, Harry – Malfoy?" Ron groaned aloud, earning a chuckle from his best friend, and his now-girlfriend.

"I know, but – if she loves him, and he loves her…isn't that all that matters?"

"Besides, Ron, I think she would do him good." Hermione smiled.

"What do you mean, 'Mione?"

"Serenity is kind by nature, maybe it'll rub off on him." Hermione smirked, earning a grin from both of them.

"Maybe you're right, 'Mione." Ron snickered, trying to imagine Draco Malfoy running around the castle helping the lower years out of the 'goodness' of his heart.

"…but I wouldn't hold my breath for it," Harry added.

"""""""""""""

The trio had managed to catch up to the Headmaster, their Professors and the accompanying Aurors sans Snape. It would appear that aside from them being more physically weak due to the lich's magic, they were fine. And so they began their trek back to the Great Hall. Along the way, a few differences were noted – students and Aurors were missing. Their concern was short-lived when they approached the first floor of the castle and discovered Madame Pomfrey with a few Aurors tending to them.

Unfortunately a new concern quickly transpired as they approached the Great Hall and saw the doors that should have barred the way, now missing. Debris scattered all over the floor.

Quickly the group made their way to the site and suppressed their horror. Wands were quickly drawn and aimed at what they believed the cause of their chaos – three Serenity lookalikes. One of the obvious impostors was now lying incapacitated in the middle of the Great Hall.

Tables were broken or strewn around; younger years were being kept near the back of the Hall, protected by older students and Professors. The ones not protecting the younger years were in an intense fight with the three impostors posing as Serenity Moon. It would appear that these charlatans were doing an incredible job of causing as much damage and mayhem as they can. Not only that, but they had already injured most of the staff members and the few Aurors that were left behind in the Great Hall.

"Merlin," Professor Sprout breathed, eyes widening as she watched one of her Hufflepuffs fly across the Great Hall, smacking against the wall, falling unconscious and most likely injured in the process.

Professors Flitwick and McGonagall wasted no time in joining the fray with the Aurors – throwing charms, hexes, curses, and transfiguring objects alike. Despite the Headmaster being weary from the ordeal he recently faced with the lich, the wizened wizard brandished his wand and transfigured one of the floating candles into a spear, sending the weapon to whip through the Great Hall and embedded itself into a fake Serenity.

"We're saved – the Professors are here!"

"The Headmaster!"

"– the Trio!"

Exclamations of surprise and delight rang amongst the students, staff, and Aurors. Most of the students that decided to join the fight against the 'creatures' were favoring their injuries, while still trying to hold their own against the impostors. As the trio took a swift glance around the Great Hall, they noticed Ginny and Neville standing right beside their Defense Instructor, already in a heated battle with a fake Serenity that Dumbledore had yet to attack.

"There's Ginny and Neville," Hermione voiced aloud and began her way there.

"Hermione, wait!" Harry exclaimed and rushed forward, pulling her back.

"What are you doing? They need us!" Hermione pulled away, only to be pulled right back.

"Hermione, we can't just rush into this!" Harry shook his head and Hermione regarded him carefully before looking at her boyfriend, who surprisingly agreed with Harry's statement.

"Just take a look, 'Mione. Even Dumbledore, the other Professors, and the Aurors are treating this whole affair from a distance. Ginny and them…" Ron said, "The only reason they're so close to that fake is because they've been backed into a corner."

And indeed they were. Flamel, Ginny, and Neville were propped up to the back of the Gryffindor table. The fourth year Gryffindors were nearby but extremely cautious. The fourth years tried to maintain a carefully warded shield around themselves and the lower years. The other Houses, including the Slytherins, tried to bring them aide by sending spell after spell towards the fake Serenity. Unfortunately, it did not bring a great deal of harm towards the 'creature.'

The spells only served to delay the impostor before sending a minor cutting hex towards the students. It was not overtly powerful compared to an above average student, but it was enough to harm the accompanying students. Their magical prowess was not much to boast about, but the damage that the charlatans could do with their physical strength alone was enough to make others wary and keep their distance. It was a reason why others stayed as far as they could while trying to put as much as damage as they can towards the three functional 'creatures.'

"What do we do then?" Hermione gritted out, her calm demeanor taking a change for the worse, fretting about what she can do to help her friends.

Silence befell them before one of the impostors turned upon them and narrowed its eyes as the _thing_ rested its eyes on a certain raven-haired Gryffindor.

"Harry Potter."

"Oh, hell! Potter get out of the way!" a familiar voice cried out, and instantly the Golden Trio jumped away as a flimsy tripping jinx was shot their way. One of the imposters had stopped its trek towards Flamel, Ginny, and Neville and was now focusing its attention on Harry Potter.

Other students took notice of this, and had begun flinging all they had on the creatures but most had missed or their spell stopped mid-way. It was obvious to everyone that their energy was waning from having tried to keep the creatures stalled all this time.

"Damn, we'll need to try something else. We can't keep this up forever." The same familiar voice intoned and a few students, including the Golden Trio, turned to look and were dumbstruck.

Right behind them were the Slytherins. The Slytherins actively participated with the others, but their reasoning mostly lied in the fact that did not want to wait just to be the next victims for these creatures. This was no surprise to the other Houses, students and Professors alike. What surprised the students most was how this particular group went out of their way to ensure Potter's safety. They didn't need to – one small jinx wouldn't be enough to hamper the Golden Boy, but this person in the group did. Especially since this particular Slytherin was known for being stoic, cool, and calm.

Everyone in school knew about Blaise Zabini.

"Zabini!" Ron's eyes widened, recognizing the dark-haired Sixth Year Slytherin.

"Weasley," Zabini smirked and cast his head aside, waving for the Slytherins in back of him to step forward. Immediately, said Slytherins sauntered in front of the Golden Trio blocking the impostors' way and erected a _Protego_.

"It won't hold out," Hermione observed, a bit of worry shining behind her chocolate brown eyes.

"It won't," Zabini agreed, "But it's all we can do right now."

At that moment, the two Serenity impostors arrived and began banging against the constructed shield. The Slytherins upholding the spell flinched, feeling their energy waver even more as the creatures continuously hammered against the spell. Little by little, the shield wavered and had all but disappeared.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Zabini dropped their small conversation and turned towards the impostors, bringing their wands up, a spell ready on their lips. As the two impostors hammered on the spell shield, the _Protego_ fell and the students in front of the two Serenity impostors were flung aside, only to be saved at the last second when supporting students and Professors cast a cushioning charm to break their fall.

"_Locomotor Mortis_."

"_Wiggulus Femurus_."

"_Depulso_."

"_Bummis Terra_."

All four spells sailed towards one of the Serenity impostors, causing the _thing_ to fall back temporarily and impede its movements, but nothing else. The spell cast by Hermione to cause the creature to wobble its legs was not effective. Ron's Leg-Locking Curse was slightly effective, momentarily locking the imposter's legs, but only for three seconds before it waved the spell off and began to get back up. The Blasting Curse managed to make the charlatan fall backward with help from the Fallback Jinx. These spells together impeded the fraud from getting to them.

The second impostor did not waver, as it ignored its partner and continued on its way. The Slytherins and professors noticed this and began to get closer, trying to delay or stop the frauds from getting close to Harry Potter.

"We're not strong enough." Parkinson and Nott scowled as they admitted this aloud.

"No!" Bulstrode and Greengrass shouted in retaliation, throwing even more powerful spells toward the creatures.

Together, their spells made a direct impact on the second Serenity joined together by other Houses. When the dust cleared up, they had managed to hamper the creature as it fell to the ground, one of its legs giving way.

"Ha! Take that!" Greengrass crowed, throwing her brown hair back behind her, grinning triumphantly.

"We will simply need to work harder together in aiming for one part of this _thing_." A neighboring Ravenclaw firmly stated, gaining the attention of other students.

"Will our spells be powerful enough?" another Ravenclaw inquired.

"All we can do is try." Responded the Ravenclaw, and the other students silently agreed.

"Heh," Seamus snickered as he struggled to get up – he had fallen not too long ago from fatigue.

"What are you laughing at, Finnegan?" grouched Crabbe whilst helping Goyle get to his feet.

"It's just weird that we're all working together," Seamus laughed and smirked as he leaned over and helped Goyle as well.

"Don't get used to it, Finnegan." Goyle scowled and turned around, his wand at the ready once more.

"And it's weird how you two can actually talk." Seamus continued on laughing as he stood beside them amongst the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

"We're not as stupid as you think we are," Goyle smugly stated.

"How else would we have gotten into our chosen classes?" Crabbe added, drawing a surprised expression on several faces that heard their comments.

"I love being in Slytherin." Goyle smirked.

""""""""""""""""""

Blood and debris caked the very floor of the Great Hall. The strong oak doors that once held the magnificent site were nothing more than chunks of broken wood. The wonderful, ornate tables and tableware of the dining area were either broken or used as a barrier. The only spots that resembled the once-glorious Great Hall were the floating candles and the enchanted ceiling – but anyone could see that there were missing candles.

Serenity stared, aghast at the destruction that greeted her. Her shocked expression turned to one of great distress when she spotted the dead Aurors that lay at her feet upon her entrance.

"Selene…" Serenity breathed and bent down, checking to see if they really were dead.

That was her first mistake – never let your guard down.

As soon as her knees touched the ground, a minor cutting hex whizzed by, slashing her cheek in the process. Fortunately, Serenity reacted and rolled to the side, bringing her knee up, and her wand ready in hand. In front of her was something she surely did not expect to see – herself.

The obvious impostor looked just like her, down to the strands of silver-blond hair. The only differences were the incisions and cuts that marred her skin, the slight burns, and tattered clothing. As Serenity studied the fraud more closely, she noticed the dull crystalline blue eyes.

"Serenity Moon," the fraud intoned, drawing attention from nearby students, professors, and Aurors.

"At your service," Serenity scathingly drawled out, not at all happy with the fact that she had allowed the _thing_ even near her.

"Serenity? Or is that another fraud?" several students murmured to themselves.

"It's got to be – _it_ sent a spell at her!"

"It could be a ruse…"

Serenity heard these comments but refused to let her eyes stray from the creature. Gripping her wand, she prepared to channel energy to her fingertips – she was still tired from the last fight, but she would be hell-bent if she allowed this creature to harm anyone in this room.

"Who sent you here?" Serenity demanded, furious as she watched the charlatan carelessly throw several Aurors to the side.

"…" the creature did not waver nor answer her question, as it continued to approach her.

To the side, Serenity noticed several Slytherins with Harry, Ron, and Hermione trying to stop another fake from getting closer to them. Across from them she could make out Dumbledore attending to McGonagall and Flitwick whilst fending an attack from a third fake. Then she vaguely saw Ginny and Flamel. She hoped that they were fine.

"Come…" the creature intoned just before another flurry of spells attacked it from behind. It paused momentarily before shrugging whatever spells was cast on it, its dull eyes solely focused on her with each step it took.

Serenity studied the creature, wondering who had sent these three creatures. And just as she thought about the situation, she immediately came to a conclusion.

(How could I not have realized this sooner? It could only be…) Serenity gave a wry smile and shook her long mane of hair, before returning her attention back to the fraud.

"Voldemort," Serenity spat as she remembered the Dark Lord and shuddered lightly as she momentarily lost hold on her wand.

The creature paused at her declaration and its face – her face – twisted into a cruel smile.

"The Dark Lord wishes for you," the creature murmured.

"For Potter, and for the stone." The other two frauds intoned from afar, as if they were right there next to their companion.

"He can claim me when I'm dead – I'll never return to that sick bastard!" Serenity cried out in rage.

"…" the three frauds paused at her words but chose not to answer, instead they resumed in their task of trying to get to their targets.

"_Depulso_," Serenity cried out and right then a white spell oozed out of her wand, heading straight for the fraud.

Just before contact, other spells simultaneously hit the fraud sending it to reel back and forth before falling to the ground. Unfortunately the spells only sent it to be momentarily stunned. However, it was enough time for Serenity to leave her station and head at another angle – straight for Flamel.

The Defense Professor was walking towards Serenity, a small smile alight on his face. There were no marks on his skin like the others, but he was clearly tired as he tried to remain upright.

"Artemis," Serenity smiled, relieved that her friend, mentor, and professor was fine.

"Serenity," Perrier Artemus Flamel sighed in relief, but before he could say another word he caught sight of the impostor lifting its hand, about to hit Serenity from the back.

Eyes widening, he acted as quickly as he could and swept Serenity to the side, getting the brunt of the attack. He sailed through the air, and attempted to correct his position before landing solidly back onto the ground. With a small jerk, Flamel turned back around and saw Serenity no more than two feet away from him trying to get her bearings. His green eyes rested back onto the fraud and narrowed his eyes. He noticed that stance, it occurred earlier that day – right before…

Not wasting any more time than necessary, Flamel resumed a battle stance and conjured the strongest _Protego_ and _Defendo _charm he could muster to Serenity's and his form.

(This should do – for now.) Flamel breathed before noticing several of his students forcing themselves to muster enough energy to make their way to his area and help out.

(It goes to show just how strong Hogwarts is when forced to band together.) Flamel allowed himself a wistful smile.

"Artemis, watch out!" he heard Serenity shout out and was startled out of his reverie.

Looking straight ahead, he saw the impostor begin to pound onto the ground, a shock wave carrying through the Great Hall. Following that shock wave, the other frauds imitated their companion, and began pounding onto the hard ground. Another tremor passed through, sending faculty members, Aurors, and students alike to scurry onto the ground or undercover.

Dumbledore along with other faculty members conjured _Protego_ and _Defendo _charms. A few Ravenclaws and Slytherins did likewise for their peers – adding a Dodging Spell if they could.

"What the…?" Flamel heard Ron cry out only to be cut off when Hermione shrieked and attached herself to the now-flustered redheaded boy.

"It's one of the attacks that these impostors have. They will continue pounding onto the ground until they want to stop, or if we manage to stop it ourselves." Nott explained, trying to make the newcomers understand the situation.

"It's a lot better than it was earlier," Ginny commented, surprising Serenity and Flamel. They did not see the redhead approach them with all the commotion.

"What do you mean?" Serenity murmured, trying to reduce the noise as she sent a silencing charm around her person, but it did not appear to deter the loud noise at all. She then attempted to dispel the shock wave by hitting the brunt of an attack head-on with a _Reducto_ but that did not work as well.

"Earlier there were four of them," Ginny suppressed the urge to yell her head off and waste her spells on these creatures – the attacks were getting more violent.

"How did you defeat one of them?" Harry's voice had gotten closer and Flamel, Serenity, and Ginny turned their head and noticed Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other Slytherins had approached them somehow.

"Professor Flamel," Zabini, the rest of the Slytherins, and Ginny replied simultaneously.

"Artemis?" Serenity turned her attention to the white-haired professor.

The others raised their eyebrows at their peer's words but did not question it.

"Earlier I had more energy on hand to take on the impostor. It also helped that the other students, faculty members, and Aurors had a good amount of magic in them to help me," Flamel explained and shrugged, "Now, it's not as simple."

"What spells did you use?" Potter asked, wanting to know as much as he can.

Before Flamel could answer a stronger shock wave was instigated, this time the three creatures were side-by-side and their attack dove head-on, heading straight for their group.

Hermione shrieked, this time accompanied by Ginny and Serenity.

(Selene, help us!) Serenity squeezed her eyes shut, feeling herself fly in mid-air and prepared herself for the impact of when her body would meet the ground. Surprisingly enough, she didn't feel the hard ground, but a soft body.

Opening her eyes, she saw that she was lying on top of Blaise Zabini.

"Not that I don't like you on top of me, Moon, but I'm not into voyeurism."

Serenity flushed while scrambling off the dark Slytherin.

"Not interested, Zabini."

Zabini drawled, "And who was on top of whom?"

"I fell you egotistical, self-centered prat." Serenity fumed.

"Hmm," Zabini smirked but it fell short after casting a lazy glance to Serenity's side.

Unhesitating, Zabini reacted, cast a _Defendo_ on himself, and pulled the Gryffindor behind him. At that exact moment, one of the creatures had managed to reach him, hauled him up, and flung him to the side.

"Blaise!" Greengrass cried out, distraught.

And all Serenity could do at that moment was watch, frozen.

(He saved me...)

""""""""""""""""""""""

The ground shook and quaked, the vibrations rebounding and lengthening with each pound.

Perrier warily stood up and regarded the frauds. They were unbelievably strong, but weak on magic. Their skin were on the brink of being impenetrable; their bodies were firm enough to deflect most spells, and even if the spells affected them, the chances of it lasting for a long period of time were minuscule.

What were they? Powerful, dangerous -

(Weak on magic, slow in movement, but strong on defense and physical attack...) Perrier listed out.

Eyes widened at his strands of thought, coming to a sudden revelation. As happy as he was to discover what these _things_ were, he was also troubled by how to deal with them.

(Golems! How do you defeat golems? It took a lot of magic to destroy just one!)

He stumbled back a bit, feeling the pressure of the golems' power, but held steadfast. He wouldn't succumb so easily.

"Perrier!" a shout cried aloud from his side, and he instinctively reacted. With a swirl of robes, wand firmly in his grasp, he turned in time to see a cutting hex from one of the golems.

Luckily enough, his erected shield was strong enough to deflect the weak spell. However, he did not count on the golem in using that spell as a feint for another golem to catch him off-guard.

BAM!

Pain filled his mind, his bones, his skin, his essence. For a brief, shining moment, he believed that everything was over. That is, until he heard a sharp cry erupting from a familiar voice.

"Artemis!"

(Serenity...)

Ignoring the pain from his back and shoulder blades, Perrier strove to rise again and suppressed a wince when he managed to get back on his feet.

"First Zabini, now you!" Serenity babbled, and gesticulated, her arms pointing to a site a few feet away where Daphne Greengrass tended to an unconscious Blaise Zabini.

It was amazing how far Hogwarts students would go to protect one of their own.

"...what were you thinking?"

Perrier ignored the accusatory tone, and turned his attention back to the three golems. At that exact moment, he witnessed an incredible feat.

Dumbledore had risen to his feet, robes billowing from an invisible wind with Flitwick and McGonagall by his side. Together, the three of them raised their wands, training them on one of the golems, aimed at the center of where their heart should have rested.

"_Relashio_."

Simultaneously, the three spells combined and hit the golem. With precise movement, the spell hit the center of where the fraud's heart should have laid. And in that momentous move made by the three Professors, the golem exploded.

It was not overtly loud or gaudy. The golem had simply exploded in a small poof that one would find with a small firecracker.

Small and nothing noteworthy.

"Bloody hell, what did they do to amplify _that?" _a multitude of students and Aurors commented to themselves and their companions.

"You can think about that later, we still have two more to deal with!" spat one of the Aurors.

With those words, a flurry of activity flung out. With the team effort that the three Professors had put together, others had began channeling their magical core. They were tired - mentally, physically, and magically but they would continue to fight. If they lost now, what then?

And with that, Perrier was introduced to a whole new level of commitment made between not only the Professors and students, but the Aurors as well.

"For Hogwarts!" Gryffindors rallied and bandied together, created by Ginny Weasley.

"For Hogwarts!" a startling cry came from the other students, echoing from all the corners of the Great Hall.

Together everyone rose, ignoring their protesting limbs and aiding those who couldn't stand up by themselves. Their wands rose in the air before training on the two golems.

(Unbelievable... It's unbelievable what that old wizard can do, what those three can do...) Perrier mused, glancing to the side at the now exhausted Albus Dumbledore, Filius Flitwick, and Minerva McGonagall.

"_Relashio_! _Reducto_!" cries of spells shouted and aimed at the two golems.

Unexpectedly, the two golems reacted as if sensing something like this would happen and had opened their mouths, casting a spell none of them expected to use, "_Protego_!"

Twin bands of light spurt forth and surrounded the two golems, joining their spell and strengthening it. The spells from accompanying professors, students, and Aurors sailed forth, a number missing and those that hit dissipated or fell short of the golems.

Despite their renewed vigor, the fact of the matter is that these Professors, these students, and these Aurors were _tired_. No matter how much enthusiasm and determination they called up - their protesting limbs and magical cores were already in the brink of exhaustion.

Nothing short of committing suicide in a blank range zone would stop them.

(Is this all that is left...? Those creatures are still capable of fighting...They never tire.) Perrier observed and recalled from what he could remember about golems.

"Artemis, what are we going to do?" Serenity stood beside him, watching as how Ron and Hermione joined in the fray.

Harry stood beside Serenity, lending a supportive arm around the distressed silver-blond haired Gryffindor. He would have joined, but had remained behind in case Serenity needed him.

"We could combine our magic again, wandlessly this time," suggested Harry, noticing how with each spell that the others cast, the more tired they had become. He knew it would not be long before they collapsed from exhaustion.

"There's no need," Perrier immediately replied, his words forceful.

(They can't, not here. The two of them have grown, but they still need to work on their control. Right now, if these two combine their power against the golems, _wandlessly_, they may not be able to control it.) Perrier mentally sighed.

When they had begun wandless magic, it was fine. Although Serenity and Harry would say otherwise, he had used weaker spells. They were enough to train the two Gryffindors, but it was not to teach them greater control of their wandless spell work. The main point of his teaching back then was to bring forth their team work and knowledge of wandless magic. With that, they grew in magic.

"Then what _should_ we do?" Serenity demanded, more than asked. It was obvious to him how exasperated the girl was.

He couldn't blame her, their time was short.

Perrier closed his eyes, feeling a migraine. Whereas Hogwarts had two apt students at their disposal, he would not risk it. But what _can_ he do?

(My magical core is near depletion. My physique is hardly strong enough to draw those two golems...I might as well...) Perrier stopped at his revelation, eyes widening and jaw growing slack.

(...commit suicide.) Perrier mused, surprised by what he had come up with in such pressing times.

(The only magic left to cast...) Perrier shook his head, but not matter how much he thought about it his thoughts led him back to this.

It was foolish, but how else would these golems be defeated. He couldn't let Serenity and Harry deal with them. They had already expended a lot of magic on the lich, but golems as well? It was too much to ask for.

"Artemis?" Serenity had noticed the flurry of emotions pass by Perrier's face, and was concerned.

"Serenity..." Perrier shook away his train of thought and focused it on her.

(How I will miss you...) Perrier wistfully sighed, his emerald green eyes softening as they studied and tried to remember all of the contours of her angelic face.

(All these years I had denied myself of the memories of my past life. I had ignored them, knowing that sooner or later my past would catch up to me. I knew that once it had, nothing would be the same - I would not be the same Perrier Artemus Flamel. And now that it has... I can only wish that this would not end.)

"Artemis...?" Serenity felt dread well up in the recess of her heart.

The wistful expression, the sadness, and the regret forming on Artemis' face was slowly scaring her. Whatever the man planned, she knew it would be...

"Suicide..." Serenity's voice cracked disbelief obvious in her tone.

"What?" Harry obviously heard that, and looked between Serenity and Professor Flamel.

"Serenity..." Perrier strode forward and made to grab her hand, but she stepped back, shaking her head in disbelief and now anger.

"No! No!" Serenity furiously looked up, a pleading expression on her face.

"Don't do this, don't!" Serenity shouted aloud, "If...if you do. I won't forgive you!"

"Is this true, Professor?" Harry interjected, catching on to what the two were...talking about.

"It's the only way," Perrier answered, as calmly as he could.

"Are you certain that there is no other way?"

"It is all I have come up with. Aside from the two of you, I am the only one left who is strong enough to do this. It is unfortunate that in doing so...I will not..."

"Then why not let us..."

"As I have said - your control in magic..."

"Please, Artemis..." Serenity pleaded, her tears falling relentlessly from her crystalline blue eyes, "You said that you would be with me."

Before Perrier could respond, a loud _BANG_ erupted throughout the Great Hall, drawing their attention.

Before them was a gaping, large hole in the center. Two Aurors lying in a heap before the golems.

"...can't believe it!"

"They just..._died_."

"Those things slammed them! Just like that!"

"Serenity...would you let more die?" Perrier asked, looking straight into the eyes of his once-claimed Princess.

At his words, Serenity bowed her head and took a step back. No, she wouldn't. If it was her choice, she would be the one to die in hopes that others would live.

Satisfied, Perrier nodded as if she had answered his question and stepped forward. Reaching out, he rested his hand on her head. Remembering how soft and smooth her silver-blond hair were and trying to etch them into his mind. Before long he slowed to a stop and lifted her chin up.

"Don't lose sight of your objective," he whispered, looking straight into her eyes.

With that, Perrier Artemus Flamel turned around and left. He knew she wasn't happy with how things turned out, but there was nothing more they could do. Their magic was not strong enough.

Yes, Serenity had the silver crystal, but was she strong enough to use it at this moment? The answer to that is no.

At this point, those two were not magically strong enough to undergo another fierce battle. But later...yes, later they will be. With enough training, with enough time, those two would be formidable.

(A shame I won't be there to see them...) Perrier mused and shook those thoughts away.

Perrier took in the scene before him. Only two golems were left, one of which was worse of wear from the onslaught of spells that were still being cast by lingering students, Professors, and Aurors.

Looking at his wand, Perrier reflected back to the years he spent with it. The first time he held it in his hand, his first spell, everything...

And it would all come to an end. Without another thought, he let the wand fall and stepped over it, a fiery determination on his ageless face.

_"A fortiori..."_

_"A posse ad esse" _

_"Causarum justia et misericordia" _

The words flew out strong, vibrant, and all-encompassing. His steps were powerful, his eyes fierce. And as Perrier came closer, his mouth moving and chanting the four phrases the golems couldn't-wouldn't move. By the time the Defense Professor arrived, the golems were still as statues and so he grabbed them by the sides. Both of his arms rose and fell around the two Serenity-lookalikes. His eyes now closed and his hair damp with sweat; he did not stop his spell work. Every now and then a grimace would appear, but he never stopped.

That is, until he reached the final section of his wandless spell work.

_"Fiat justitia" _

A large, white glow exploded; the luminescent light expanded throughout the Great Hall. Blinding yet soothing it was for all of Hogwarts' residents. In the center of that light stood Perrier Artemus Flamel whose emerald green eyes opened and sought out one solitary figure - Serenity Moon.

Unsure, but not caring the least Perrier stared at the Serenity and gave one last supporting smile.

"Although everything may change, your role in this world has not - Serenity Moon."

The white grew brighter still, but he never wavered. Not when he felt the pull of his magic grow stronger, not when he felt the golems finally overcome the pull of his magic and attempted to overthrow him, not when the magic pulled them together and held them bound. The spell he cast was his ultimate spell, and he knew the effects. So he held strong.

When the spell was finally released into the air, Perrier was steadfast.

Whoever said that they saw a white light and flashes of your life right before you died was wrong. He did see the white light, but it was only because of his spell work. What he did not see were flashes of his life. He only saw his princess, Serenity Moon.

As the light grew brighter, and the strain stronger Perrier closed his eyes, knowing that his time has come to an end.

(My only regret was that... for all our time together, I never said good-bye.)

"Good-bye, Your Highness..." Perrier murmured, knowing but not caring that his words would never be heard.

Thus ends the life of Perrier Artemus Flamel.

To be continued...

"""""""""""""""""""

And the tradition continues with the cursed spot of Defense against the Dark Arts position.

Here's the translation for a bit of those made-up spells!

_"A fortiori..."_ _With yet stronger reason_

_"A posse ad esse" - From possibility to actuality_

_"Causarum justia et misericordia" - For the causes of justice and mercy_

_"Fiat justitia" - Let Justice be done._


	21. End of Year 6

Title: Needed

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Modified: March 20, 2009.

""""""""""

Two weeks had passed since the attack by the lich and the golems. In that span of time, almost everything changed within Hogwarts. Not physically, but emotionally – spiritually. Days after the attack, almost everyone was on edge over what might happen next. It's not every day that you find your school being attacked twice – one from a lich, the other by golems. People were wary of voicing out their fear, afraid that by vocalizing their thoughts it may come true.

Fortunately, it was not long until their fear dampened. A week after the attack, students could be seen out on the fields, enjoying the spring weather. The Aurors had all but left, and the injured Professors and students were mostly healed. Everything had returned to normal – well, almost everything.

"""""""

Draco watched Serenity from the second floor of Hogwarts. She was outside, as usual in these lazy afternoons, and was left to her own devices. It had become a ritual of sorts, since the Headmaster gave his students leave to roam outside the school's walls, deeming it safe.

Taking their Headmaster's words to heart, a number of students went outside to enjoy the fresh air, the now-blue sky, and the scenery.

However, Serenity chose to go outside not to enjoy the fresh air, the sky, or the scenery, but to dwell on a certain Defense Instructor. For the past two weeks, Serenity had been seen either outside or within Gryffindor Tower – both with the intention of brooding over Perrier Flamel.

Sighing to himself, the Slytherin Prince moved to walk away when he was faced with fierce emerald green eyes.

"Why if it isn't Scarhead," Draco drawled, folding his arms in front of him.

"Malfoy," Potter chose to ignore the jibe, he was not going to put up with the Slytherin's antics, "I need to talk to you."

Not wanting to miss out on this, Malfoy raised an elegant eyebrow and smirked.

"I thought you already were, but by all means... continue."

"Why haven't you approached her?" Potter went straight to the point, and watched as the Slytherin Prince's smirk fell, a face of indifference rising in place.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter," Malfoy's tone changing to what would resemble cold steel.

"I'm talking about _Serenity_."

Again, Potter bore witness to the subtle change of Malfoy's stance. For a brief moment, he saw Malfoy's posture freeze up before relaxing, putting up another brave front.

(Even a Malfoy can have a heart...) Potter mused to himself.

"And why would I associate with the likes of her?" Malfoy sneered, pushing back the thoughts and feelings that said otherwise.

At this, Potter's glare intensified and he took a step forward, noticing the small change in Malfoy's posture once again. Malfoy was instinctively reacting to him, he was defensive – unsure.

"Because I _know_," Potter enunciated, taking in Draco's expression and stance. How he minutely drew his shoulders back, his eyelids widening by a fraction, his mouth opening by just a bit before clamping back down.

"Ha! I don't know what you're talking about, Potter. I have no time for this foolishness," Malfoy smirked, and allowed his hands to fall to his sides, preparing to leave.

Before Malfoy could pass the Gryffindor, Harry quickly grabbed hold of Malfoy's arm and squeezed it. Surprised by the Gryffindor's actions, Malfoy turned to stare; a sharp retort prepared on his lips, but froze by the ferocity in Potter's eyes.

"I don't know what you're thinking, Malfoy. But I won't let you hurt her again. You may be a Slytherin, you may be a Malfoy, but _none_ of that should matter when it comes to her."

Glowering, Malfoy pulled his arm out of Potter's grasp and took a step back.

"I _know_, Potter." Malfoy hissed, and with one last glare he pushed pass the Gryffindor and down the hallway.

Behind him, Potter stayed behind, watching the Slytherin walk away.

"You better..."

""""""""""""""

(That Potter, telling me what to do. Of course I know she needs me...) Draco scathingly thought as he passed through the hallway, seething.

It was one thing to talk to Draco Malfoy and offer suggestions, but it was another when your rival comes up, and threatens you about your love interest. One of things that Draco Malfoy truly didn't like is being told what to do.

(She needs me... but can I really just walk up to her?) Draco mused, and stopped when he reached the outdoors.

The Slytherin was simply a few feet away from Serenity. Her huddled form still in that same exact spot that he had been watching her from. Her crystalline blue eyes staring at nothing in particular, directed towards the Forbidden Forest. Her arms encircling her legs, her chin settled on top of her robe-covered knees. It was the exact stance she held when they had first met, and she was just as melancholy as before.

(I know that you need me, but could I really...?)

He simply stood there watching... Although, his expression was one of indifference, his heart surely told him otherwise.

"You know Dray, if you keep on being like this – you might as well be a Hufflepuff," a feminine voice commented, slightly startling him from his musing.

Composing himself, Draco slowly turned his head to the side, and saw Pansy Parkinson casually filing her nails as she stood beside him. Behind him were Millicent Bulstrode and Daphne Greengrass, the two Slytherin females that she was often seen with.

"What do you want, Pans?" Draco drawled, already tired of having her around.

It wasn't that he minded her presence. On the contrary, Pansy has always been a great confidant and supporter of his ever since he can remember. She was a wonderful friend, but sometimes she got to him in a way that no other could.

"To tell you to go over there, and comfort that Gryffindor. Quite frankly, I am tired of watching you pine after her. It does not become you, to be so... sentimental and weak."

Draco felt himself growing angry at her words.

Noticing Draco's expression, Pansy rose a delicate eyebrow up in response and smirked.

"Now, now Draco-dearest. Don't say that that is not true. It has been like this for over a week. I already know how you feel for the girl, so don't bother trying to hide it from me."

Sighing to himself, Draco turned back around and continued to watch Serenity.

"What do you want me to do, Pans?"

"You're insufferable," Pansy sighed, exasperated, and put her nail file away.

With determination flashing across her blue eyes, Pansy stalked up to Draco and forced him to look at her.

"Look here, Draco Lucius Malfoy. You are a bloody Slytherin – the Prince at that! I will not have you stand here, pining after some Gryffindor. So if you want her, Malfoy, then go over there and do it! Snog her, comfort her, I bloody well don't care, just do it!"

Draco blinked, shocked by Pansy's forceful attitude. To be truthful, he had not seen her so incensed since she was 10 years old, and was adamant about wanting to attend the same school as he was. Now here she was, frustrated to no end about his... "Hufflepuff" attitude.

"Have you taken into account the repercussions this may cause?" Draco softly asked.

"Draco-dear, after spending one whole day fighting off golems with the other Houses, dealing with members in our own house should be nothing," Pansy smiled sweetly, but he definitely knew that she was anything but sweet – she was a Parkinson.

Draco didn't say anything. What could he say? He wasn't there to witness or join in the fight; he missed out on it. Hell, he missed out on the lich fight, as well! Instead of commenting on it, he simply fixed up his Slytherin mask and lifted another elegant eyebrow and eyed Pansy at his side.

"Don't give me that look, I already know I won," Pansy gave another sigh, and lightly pushed the Slytherin forward, "Get your act together, and be with her."

"I'll have you know, I was heading there myself." Draco retorted he would not let Pansy get the last word out of this; he wouldn't!

"Of course, Draco-darling," Pansy responded back, her voice sugary-sweet and obviously filled with nothing but sarcasm.

Pursing his lips together, he sneered before heading off towards his next destination – to Serenity.

Behind him, Pansy smirked in satisfaction by herself before Millicent and Daphne came up behind her. Both of which were eying the Slytherin with simple curiosity.

"How long have you known?" Millicent bluntly inquired.

"Shortly after the Hols," Daphne replied, even though she knew that Millicent did not direct the question at her.

"A few days after the Gryffindor/Slytherin match," Pansy answered lazily, still watching Draco and was now seeing him sit beside the Gryffindor.

A small frown made its way to her lips, before she sighed again and turned around, mumbling, "...I just knew it, he's turned into a bloody 'puff."

Hearing her comment, Daphne grinned while Millicent smirked. The two Slytherin girls looked at one another, before turning around and following after their friend. It would not do to leave Pansy Parkinson to herself, who knows what they would miss out on? After all, she was one of the best people to be around when it comes to finding out other people's secrets.

""""""""""""

Serenity stared halfheartedly at the Forbidden Forest. Her thoughts and emotions were a jumbled mess. For two weeks she had been at a loss on what to do. She knew she should not be reacting like this, but she was. She lost one of the ties that held her to her old life – she lost a mentor, a friend, a confidant. Who would she turn to, when she felt lost and afraid? Whom would she rely on to listen to her about her uncertainties and her past? Who would comfort her now that Artemis was gone?

With another sigh, Serenity squeezed her legs tighter to herself and buried her head between her knees, shutting her eyes in the process. It was no use; she would just hold these feelings to herself.

As she continued with her musings, she missed a certain Slytherin sit right beside her. She also missed it when said Slytherin inched closer a few minutes later.

Lost she was in her thoughts, that by the time it grew dark she was startled to find a warm cloak drape its ways across her arms.

Looking to her side, she was a bit surprised to find the stoic figure of a certain Slytherin Prince. Draco Malfoy was right beside her, and certain warmth began to seep into the recess of her heart.

She had almost forgotten about him, about the friends she made in this school.

Reflecting back on her two weeks, guilt began to ebb its way into her heart, replacing the warmth she felt from Draco's presence. How could she have forgotten about him, when she just had their relationship fixed?

"I'm the worst..." Serenity mumbled, guilt dancing in her crystalline blue eyes.

At her words, the Slytherin blinked, not comprehending what she was trying to say. The worst? How was that possible? He had been the one who didn't have the guts to approach her in the first place.

"First I get Artemis killed, then I ignore all my friends, and now... I almost forget about you," Serenity whispered aloud.

Draco smiled softly after her confession, before languidly getting up to his feet. The air had gotten colder, night had fallen, and the idea of returning inside to the castle where dinner would be waiting for them was enticing.

"Draco?" Serenity looked up, a bit confused by the Slytherin's antics. Not one word had fallen from his lips since her confession.

Looking back at the Gryffindor, Draco allowed his smile to stretch just a little bit wider. Her blue eyes were filled with worry, apprehension, and confusion all rolled into one. Her head was tilted to the side, just a bit, adding to the adorable image she portrayed as she sat on the grass, his cloak draped across her shoulders.

Not wanting to worry her anymore, he made his way to her side.

"The worst, Serenity, is my father – a power-hungry, muggle-hating maniac. The worst is You-Know-Who, a psychotic man who would do anything to kill everyone and anything who dares stand in his way."

Draco paused for a bit and knelt down, continuing to stare straight into her eyes – the smile finally leaving his lips as concern, worry, and apprehension flashed across his face.

"You were simply in your rights to grieve for your loss. Anyone would have done the same. But I – I did not have the same thoughts. I just watched you – wanting to comfort you, but I didn't think – didn't believe I could or had the right to. As a Slytherin, and their leader, I didn't think I should approach you. Even when I _knew_ it didn't matter, I couldn't bring myself to do anything more than be a bystander. You needed me to be here for you, but I was afraid. It's not you who is the worst, but myself," Draco confessed, by now his head was bent down, his locks of hair hanging down his face.

Silence remained between them. Seconds passed, before it dragged on to minutes. And just when Draco thought that their relationship had surely ended, he felt a hand settle on his knee. Looking up, he saw the soft smile of Serenity's face in his field of vision.

"But you're here now," Serenity murmured.

Draco nodded in response, "I almost wasn't – it took Potter and Pansy to get me to come here."

Serenity lightly chuckled as she imagined Draco being bullied by Harry. It was usually Draco who began _anything_ between himself and Harry Potter. So having the tables turned must have been a sight to see.

"I'm glad that I came," Draco whispered, catching sight of her bright smile. Merlin, it has been awhile since she smiled like that.

His words froze her, before she recalled just why she was even out here in the cold.

"You're allowed to grieve, Serenity. But don't forget to _live_. Don't forget about those that are right here, waiting for you," Draco continued, and reached out to tilt her chin up.

At that instant, Draco closed the gap between them and gave her a chaste kiss.

"I'm here; I will _always_ be here, waiting for you," Draco said huskily, his gray eyes staring straight at her half-lidded blue eyes.

"Promise?" Serenity whispered.

Draco smirked lightly, capturing her lips before replying, "Promise."

His words helped ease a small portion of her heart, but it was not enough – not for her. And so, despite his reassurance, she merely smiled before burying her head into his arms.

(Words alone are not enough, not anymore...)

Sensing this, Draco held her, trying to reaffirm his words. Promising things that transcended the simple promise that they shared.

"Artemis...Professor Flamel, he told me that he would be there for me..." Serenity revealed, a sob escaping her throat. Draco tightened his grip around the girl, pulling her close to his chest.

"Now that he's gone, I don't know what to do – before, all I had to do was go to him. He would tell me where my priorities lied."

"And do you know your priorities?"

Serenity stayed silent for a moment, before answering with a small nod. At this, Draco began rubbing her back, coaxing her to tell him.

"To...protect..." Serenity mumbled, but trailed off, recalling who she was with and what she was about to say.

(Should I tell him my purpose? My reason for being here?)

"Protect?" Draco froze at these words, wondering just what it was – who she was supposed to protect.

(Not yet, not yet...it's too soon.)

"Protect those that I love," Serenity finished, clutching tightly to Draco's robes.

Draco relaxed, albeit with much coaxing from the back of his mind and he continued with his ministrations.

"So long as you remember him, remember your purpose, and remember those that are here for you, you should be fine."

Serenity lightly chuckled through her broken sobs and looked up, noticing the questioning look in his eyes.

"You're such a sap," Serenity chuckled in answer, and witnessed the look of mock outrage on Draco's face.

"I am _not_!"

"You are – you're turning into a Hufflepuff," Serenity continued.

Draco simply sniffed in disdain, causing the Gryffindor to laugh even more. Looking right at her, he couldn't help but softly smile and hold her even closer to his person. Even if she laughed at him, so long as she laughed, everything would eventually be fine – right?

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you..."

Draco held her tighter for another few minutes before letting go. Getting up, he stretched and looked up at the night sky. The light of the stars, the waning moon, and the velvet sky.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, he forced himself to turn away and returned to Serenity. She had been watching him, and it comforted him a bit that she was no longer forlorn.

Smirking he closed the distance between them, and bent down, extending his hand for her to take.

"We better get inside; we wouldn't want your friends worrying about you, would we?"

With a small shake of her head, Serenity lightly smiled and grabbed his hand, noticing how warm it was despite being out in the cold after all these hours. And with a small pull, Draco pulled her up and held her close to his side. Without another word, Draco led the way, never allowing her to stray far from his side, and never once letting go of her hand.

As they approached the castle, Serenity looked behind at the site they had just left and reflected back to all that happened.

She knew Artemis would not be coming back, and it pained her. She did not want to forget him, and all that he had done for her. But what Draco had told her was true – so long as she remembered, she would be fine. Artemis had taught her the same.

_Everything takes time_.

Looking back at Draco, she smiled – this time of gratitude, of warmth, of tenderness. She was grateful for his comforting presence. Although he had been hesitant of approaching her for the past two weeks, the fact of the matter is – he _came_. Yes, he had to be pressured, but as she thought about it, it made sense. She might have reacted the same way.

He had to be strong for his Slytherins. By approaching her, he was endangering his Slytherins for associating himself with Gryffindors – the bitter rivals of the Slytherin House. And by allowing himself to entertain her with his presence, with his attention, with his _affection_, he was endangering not only himself and his followers, but her as well. His and his followers' reputation and hers. Moreover, if anyone held any ill will towards him they could easily target her in the process. Being the Slytherin Prince and having to hold himself in check had been difficult. And approaching her had been a difficult choice to make, but one that she was grateful for.

She never knew how much she needed him, until now.

Squeezing his hand, she drew closer to him and leaned her head against his side.

"I may not be Artemis or Potter – I am not a Saint by any means, nor am I the type to rush head-on into things. But I am a Malfoy," Draco stated, not daring to look at Serenity as he said these words, "No, I am _Draco_ Malfoy. I am not my father; I have no intention of killing others for the sake of power or wealth. However, I _do_ intend on being there for you."

"You already said that, Draco," Serenity lightly blushed, and blushed even harder when Draco stopped their walk at the entrance way of the castle. He turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her.

"And I will continue saying it as long as you need it – as long as you need me."

"Draco..."

Draco smirked, before detaching himself from her, grabbing her hand in the process. As they drew closer to the Great Hall, Serenity began to furrow her brows in confusion. Why wasn't Draco letting go? He couldn't possibly mean...

Sensing her bemusement, Draco smirked and squeezed her hand in confirmation.

"I meant what I said, Serenity – I promised, did I not?"

Startled by his words, Serenity stopped and looked up to twinkling gray eyes and a smirking face.

"You can't be serious! What about the Slytherins, what will they think? What will the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs...Ravenclaws – what will everyone say? Have you thought what this will mean?" Serenity began to spout out, worry, apprehension, confusion, and fear mingling with her emotions.

"That's how much I am willing to risk for you."

"What about...your family? You can't possibly defy them, they're family..." Serenity whispered out.

"I already did," Draco responded and cupped Serenity's cheek, stroking it ever so softly, "The day that I realized just how much I needed you back, even if it meant that you may not have forgiven me."

"I can't believe that you're doing this..."

Draco simply chuckled in response and stepped forward, Serenity by her side.

Together the two – Slytherin and Gryffindor – strode together and opened the doors of the Great Hall.

Knowing, but not caring that they would cause more commotion for the whole of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

"""""""""""

The days following that event had not been easy. Upon entering the Great Hall, shouts of protest, confusion, and plain calamity ensued. It was one thing to have worked together with other Houses, but it was another to pursue a relationship – especially if it was between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor.

Luckily enough, the Gryffindors had been easier to placate. It helped smooth things over when the Gryffindors noticed that the Golden Trio was accepting the relationship.

However, the Slytherins were not as easy. Due to Draco Malfoy's actions, the Slytherin House had been split into two factions – one in support of Draco, and the other whom did not approve of him. The ones that did not enjoy Malfoy's choice had left him in favor of their newly chosen leader – a seventh year Slytherin and Chaser, Charles Warrington. Malfoy had expected that he would be shunned, but he did not expect to have House support in his choice of partner. Unexpectedly, a little more than half of the Slytherin House had sided with him and he had been inwardly pleased by this turn of events.

Before long, almost the whole week had passed and it was now Sunday, March 21.

"Are you sure? Paris is not that far, but it's not that close, either," Draco said, standing nearby as always.

"I'm sure. The Headmaster and the Professors are actually supportive of my decision to go there. Besides it's only for two days, it's not like I'm permanently moving there," Serenity flashed Draco a grin, before returning her attention on the gold plated award in front of her.

Her alabaster hand reached forward, tracing the outline of the award from outside the glass case. Her eyes focused on the sheen of dark gold against mahogany, her eyes darting left-to-right, reading the engraved letters carved against the gold plate:

Special Award for Service to the School

Perrier Artemus Flamel

"I want to properly say my good-bye to him. Even though we hosted a memorial service for him, I – I wasn't ready," Serenity continued, "Now I am."

"Then allow me to accompany you."

This startled her if her sudden reaction to his words were any indication. Serenity whipped her head around and stared at Draco in astonishment, she had not predicted him to offer to accompany her to another country.

"Don't look so surprised," Draco smirked. He found her changing expressions to be quite amusing.

"Do you expect me to let you go to Paris by yourself? You would be lost within the first five minutes of your arrival," Draco continued.

"I will not!"

"Hmm, nevertheless, it is better to take preventive measures, instead of waiting for the results to happen," Draco concluded, and suppressed another smirk from appearing when he saw Serenity's face twist in a grimace.

"Fine, but only because I want to see your face when you admit that you got us lost!"

"We'll see," Draco drawled.

""""""""""""

The rest of the year was spent in relative peace. Classes were now held in their usual classrooms, detentions were given, and everything was back in working order. The differences that anyone could see were the eyes of the students; they had grown older, more mature over the span of one event. There was also the fact that the Slytherin House was divided, and DADA was shared amongst the staff members who had time on their hands. Professor Snape was seen quite frequently, having been known for wanting that position for _years_. Something that the other students found intriguing yet disheartening whenever they strode through the door, only to find him waiting there for them.

Nevertheless, the rest of the school year was normal, or as normal as it can get in Hogwarts. Before long, OWLS and NEWTS were taken, while the other years took their exams or mock exams – depending on their year standing.

Until finally, summer began.

""""""""

Paris, France – the capital city situated on the River Seine. A principal city rich with palaces, abbeys, and cathedrals. An influential site for fashion, businesses, museums, and the arts.

Despite being in the City of the Lights, one lone girl and her escort ignored everything else but one area – Saint Jacques Tower.

The Gothic tower stood tall at 52 meters with a statue of Saint James placed on top of the tower, and a statue of Pascal at the base.

Whilst approaching the formidable edifice, Serenity caught sight of an elderly man standing beside a woman. And as they arrived, the couple smiled warmly at the two of them, beckoning them to come closer.

"You two must be Serenity Moon and Draco Malfoy," the woman greeted, a slight French accent could be detected, but otherwise flawless.

"Oui, nous sommes. Pouvons-nous demander à qui nous parlons?" Draco interjected, greeting the couple with a polite smile in return.

Amused by Draco's fluidity of the language, the couple simply glanced at one another before shooting the younger boy an amused smile, their blue eyes twinkling under the mid-afternoon sun.

"Je fais des excuses. Mon nom est Pernelle et c'est mon mari Nicholas Flamel." Pernelle apologized, and introduced herself and her husband.

"Nicholas Flamel – the alchemist?" Serenity interrupted. Even though she did not know what they were saying, she heard the names clearly enough to understand who they were.

"Yes, and we have been sent here by your Headmaster Dumbledore to guide you to our nephew's grave site." Pernelle kindly addressed the young girl, and in response, Serenity smiled back, glad to know that they would not spend the afternoon trying to find the tombstone of Perrier Artemus Flamel.

"Please, follow us," Nicholas spoke up, his tone accented like his wife's but mixed with other cultures as well.

And Draco followed suit with Serenity by his side, the four entering the tall, earthen tower. As the two followed the elderly couple, they noticed a number of muggles simply standing outside the stone edifice.

"Why are they not coming inside like we are?" Serenity asked aloud, while Draco smirked in response.

"They aren't allowed inside – this place is not open to the public."

"That is correct, Mr. Malfoy," Nicholas nodded, though he did not turn to address them as he pressed forward, "This tower was simply all that was left of an ancient church. The rest was destroyed during the French Revolution."

"If it is not open to the public, then why..."

"Why is that you are permitted inside?" Pernelle prompted, and at Serenity's nod, the woman smiled widely, "Because our nephew has spoken much of you during his stay at your school. It is only right to let you see where he now lies."

"Thank you..."

Before long, the four made it to a wide enclosure with nothing around it save for a tombstone. Hesitantly, Serenity stepped forward and bowed low before the grave, before kneeling in front of it.

In front of her was the tombstone with words engraved into it:

Perrier Artemus Flamel

1973 – 1997

Order of Merlin - 3rd class

Respected & loved

by those who knew him

(Oh Artemis, this tombstone doesn't even do you justice.)

"He was so much more than this..." Serenity whispered aloud.

"He was a confidant, he was a hero, he was a savior, but most of all, he was... a friend." Serenity remarked, sending out a lone tear.

The elderly couple allowed the teenager to grieve in silence, retracing their steps as they left the site. In their stead, they left Draco Malfoy who stayed behind.

"The memorial service, the Minister's and the Headmaster's speech...nothing matters. All that will be left is... this," Serenity emphasized by brandishing her hand toward the tombstone, "All that is left is a tombstone, mangy words, and memories."

"And out of it all, memories are all that you have left to remember him by," Draco spoke up, approaching behind her and encircling her with his warm arms.

"Yes..."

"Isn't it enough?"

"No."

"But it will have to do, won't it?"

"…"

"All we can do is move forward."

Serenity looked up and saw a soft, sad smile on Draco's lips as he waited for her answer.

"Yes, it is."

(Artemis, I won't forget you. Thank you for all that you have done.)

"Ready to go?"

"Yes."

(But right now, I need to keep moving forward – one step at a time.)

To be continued...

""""""""""""""""

I know I stopped in a cheesy scene. Year 6 has drawn to a close, and summer has begun.

Translation for those who care. I apologize, if I haven't translated it correctly – I tried my best.

_Oui, nous sommes. Pouvons-nous demander à qui nous parlons?_

Yes, we are. May we ask whom we are speaking to?

_Je fais des excuses. Mon nom est Pernelle et c'est mon mari Nicholas Flamel._

I apologize. My name is Pernelle and this is my husband Nicholas Flamel.


	22. Chapter 22

Title: Needed

Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Modified: May 8, 2009.

""""""""""""""

Harry gasped aloud, clutching his forehead as the burning of his scar began acting up again. It had been doing so for the past two weeks since school had let out for the summer. Suppressing the need to vomit, cry, and shout Harry instead bit the bottom of his lip, hissing and wishing for the pain to go away.

But it didn't.

Unable to bear the pain, Harry Potter tossed his head back, the lightning bolt scar eerily red, blood running down the front of his face. A silent scream worming out of his mouth, his body writhing, his hands clutching at the bed sheets, trying in vain to ride out the internal pain that he felt through the link he carried within his scar.

Until slowly, inevitably his body stopped moving, his hands loosened their hold on his bed sheets, and his mouth slackened – succumbing into the world of dreams and shadows.

""""""""

For a fortnight, Harry Potter had been forced to endure the affliction. Without the support of his friends, his Professors, and especially his 'family'. Every morning, he would continue with his daily routine of chores. And every night, he would go to bed, and await the inevitable moment when his scar would prickle, before consuming him with convulsions until he completely loses consciousness. Even if he tried to sleep, he would only feel the pain, he would then proceed to wake up, and bear it until he knew no more. There was no escape, no relief for his inevitable nightly torture.

With his scar, came the images and glimpses of Voldemort's horrible night events. The torture, the rape, the pillaging, and the blood – oh, the blood. There was no end in sight of the accumulating corpses, no end to the endless screams of torture and insanity.

It only got worse with each day.

The only relief Harry could find were those times when the pain became too much that his whole body simply shut down. And, of course, when morning finally arrived. However, it would appear that with each day, the time Voldemort would stop his attacks came later, and later. He was sure that soon, even the magical, and muggle communities would not find sanctuary in broad daylight.

Voldemort's numbers were growing; it would only be a matter of time before Voldemort brought his attacks directly to the Ministry, Hogwarts, or both. The thought of either one being attacked directly caused Harry much misery. He had become more agitated, his nerves getting the better of him, causing him and his relatives a lot of grief. The raven haired teenager's unusual activities resulted to him receiving punishments from his uncle – from beatings to no food, and of course, locking him in his small room.

It only stopped when the Order had finally arrived to retrieve him from his relatives' 'tender' care.

"Good riddance," Vernon gruffly stated when he noticed Shacklebot, Tonks, and Remus Lupin at the doorway – of course, disguised to look like muggles.

Without another word, Vernon stepped back, allowing the three confused people into his home. With a spare glance at them, gruffly assessing their poor clothing and taste, he left them to their own devices, disappearing into the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Tonks asked aloud, but was only met with shrugs.

Figuring that they were allowed to complete their task without anymore hassle, Remus went upstairs with Tonks while Shacklebot remained downstairs.

Upon reaching Harry's locked bedroom, Remus opened the door and saw a reclusive Harry Potter. The raven haired savior was sitting on his crumpled bed, with a packet of letters strewn around, most of which were open.

"Remus, Tonks..." Harry blinked tiredly, not even attempting to rise up from his bed.

"Wotcher Harry," Tonks greeted, albeit half-heartedly. She couldn't bring herself to be her cheery self when she saw the state the teenager was in.

To put it bluntly, Harry looked like hell. He had bags under his eyes, his skin was so pale that he could have passed for a vampire, and his body looked horribly malnourished. What happened to him?

Unfortunately, or fortunately in Harry's case, the two didn't spend their time questioning the wizarding savior. The two simply informed Harry of their purpose, and immediately set to work in packing all of the teenager's belongings. Soon enough the four of them left Privet Drive, not bothering to stay and say good-bye to the muggles that they left behind.

To Harry, Privet Drive was never really his home. To Harry, the Dursley family was never his family. Nothing in this place is.

To Harry, Hogwarts was his home; the Weasley family were his family. And that was how it will always be.

Without a look back, Harry took hold of his offered belongings and followed the three Order members that were sent to retrieve him. For all the years that he had spent with the Dursley family, he never felt love or acceptance – only hate, loathing, and disgust. Despite all rights that he should have in the feelings of regret or hatred for his supposed family, he felt nothing but indifference. Perhaps it was because he had faced worse things over the years, but that was how he honestly felt.

"Alright there?" Shacklebot asked.

"I'm fine." Harry immediately responded.

He didn't need to doubt his feelings this time, he was _– is –_ fine. He no longer needed to return home to an unloving family every summer. Hell, he never had to come back to this section of Surrey ever again. He was truly free of the Dursleys now.

"I'm fine." Harry repeated, this time with a smile of relief.

The three adults surrounding him simply looked at one another, but decided to let the raven haired teenager be. It would appear that whatever was on his mind previously was no longer an issue. Besides, they had more important things to do.

And so they continued on their way, this time heading not to the Burrow, but to Grimmauld Place. It wasn't the place that he would love to spend the rest of his summer at, but if the Weasleys were there, he could live with it. Assured with his train of thought, the four continued on to their destination – Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the home of the Black family, and headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix.

"""""""""""""

The rest of the summer was not as enlightening as others would think – it only got worse for Harry Potter. Correction, it got worse for everyone within the Order of the Phoenix, or to put it more accurately, for the Light Side.

Voldemort's attacks, as Harry earlier expected, had gotten worse. As a result, his scar throbbed even more painfully, creating hysteria within Grimmauld Place and its occupants. Voldemort's attacks were ferocious, and he had grown bolder with his plans.

One of his largest attacks was directed at the Grangers.

"How could they have found out? This place was supposed to be secure, and protected!" a miffed Dedalus Diggle said aloud, looking at the charred remains of what was once known as the Granger family residence.

"Obviously someone found out," scowled and wheezed Elphias Doge, bending over and brushing over a pile of scattered remains of charred wood. Underneath was a blackened hand, and on its ring finger was – surprisingly enough – a still in-tact silver wedding ring.

"This must have been her mother," whispered Diggle, having come closer.

"We should give it to her, poor girl," Hestia Jones shook her head, and dusted off her robes, having found nothing noteworthy, "We have nothing more to find here – apparently this place was the only one hit out of the muggle community."

"They're playing dirty, that's for sure. Hitting Potter where it hurts – through his friends' families."

"A muggle one, at that..."

"Let's go."

With that, the three members of the Order of the Phoenix took the only remaining piece that survived the destroyed home of Hermione Granger's, and Apparated out. Luckily for them, too, the sound of blaring sirens could be heard in the distance.

Upon hearing of their untimely appearance to the Granger home, the whole Order found that they could only accept their defeat – they arrived too late to save Hermione's family.

And Hermione had not received the news well, but who would?

When she was given the only item that survived the attack, her mother's wedding ring, she had broken down, before crying herself to sleep. And as Harry watched his best friend, he could only feel regret, sympathy, and helplessness. No matter how fast he tried to warn the Order of his dream, he just wasn't _fast_ enough.

"Oh Hermione," Harry sadly watched as Ron bent down, and picked up Hermione's spent body, cradling her close to his chest.

"She'll be fine – in time," Remus whispered to Harry's ear, clasping his shoulder in support.

"I hope so," Harry whispered, watching as Ron singly carried Hermione up the stairs, and to her shared bedroom with Ginny.

"""""""""""""

The rest of the week was strained amongst the Order, and especially the Golden Trio. Arguments shortly followed, as none of the members could ascertain what to do after the blow they received from the Dark Side.

Apparently, Severus Snape had not known what Voldemort was planning. Consequently, several came to a hesitant hypothesis that Severus Snape's loyalty to the Dark Lord was being questioned. There were now demands for alternative strategies to be taken into consideration. Order members wanted other possible methods of how to receive necessary information from the Dark Lord. This resulted in a number of fevered debates, accusations, and arguments – one that lasted for hours. In the end, nothing was resolved, but their choices were narrowed down – gamble Snape's position as Voldemort's servant, get another spy, infiltrate the base, or leave it all to chance.

These options were shaky and unfounded; each choice was piled high with pros and cons. However, it was all the Order could come up with. The Dark Side was growing in power, and their resources were _very_ limited.

Despite the fact that the Ministry was aiding them, nothing beneficial appeared to have resulted from the conjoined sides. The Ministry was too busy with investigations. Their offices piled to the brim with Howlers and letters from other wizards, and they were more directly involved in figuring out ways to make sure that the muggles would not find out. With the growing forces of Voldemort's masses made known, attacks were increasing in frequency.

The result was pandemonium. Since last year's fiasco, the numbers of wizards and witches even stepping outside were minimal, and everyone were making plans of fleeing the country – that is, if it wasn't for the fact that there were huge reports of disappearances. Wizarding sites for transportation purposes were finding a large onslaught of missing magical people.

Nothing was going right for the Light Side. And the Order was sure that those who reported to be Neutrals in the side of war, were now debating on whether or not to switch their loyalty to the Dark – if only to receive protection.

"I don't know what to do," Harry ruffled his raven locks of hair, and put his quill down.

He had been writing to Serenity, since he returned to Grimmauld Place. He never had the chance to respond to any of her daily letters while at Privet Drive, due to... circumstance. Now that he had more free time on his hands, it became a daily ritual to write to the Gryffindor maiden. And he was grateful.

Serenity's time at Hogwarts, he found, were lonely. She corresponded daily to all her friends, just to pass the time away. Even though she was at school, she found herself catching up to the other years – simply because there was nothing better for her to do but study.

Without the pleasure of being surrounded by her friends, Serenity had no one to talk to aside from the portraits or her professors. Filch was out of the question, never wanting to give anyone the time of day unless he sought them out. Even if she spoke with her professors, it was never for a long amount of time – they were too busy with the Order, with preparations for the upcoming year, with her papers and itinerary, or with their own affairs.

Thus Harry took advantage of his correspondence with Serenity Moon, by burying himself in these letters, trying to forget his own dilemma. Yes, he wrote to Serenity about the recent events that transpired – the Grangers were dead, and Hermione was depressed. She wrote back with an attached missive asking to be delivered to Hermione. But when Harry gave the letter to Hermione, she simply took the parchment and threw it to a growing pile of other sentimental letters. It had been growing ever since.

Harry had written back to Serenity about Hermione's recent attitude, and she simply responded with, "_It's to be expected, Harry. Just be there for her, as you have for me._"

Her words were comforting, as they were painful. It reminded him of their wonderful time together, and their unfortunate end. Shaking his head of morbid thoughts, Harry picked up his quill again, wondering what else to say.

_You have seen her, haven't you? At the muggle funeral, she was empty. We know that grief is a normal emotional development, but it's disheartening that she's not even responding to us. _

_She's pushing everyone away – even Ron. And you can only expect that Ron didn't react well to that. _

_I hope that we see you soon, but until then..._

_I await,_

_Harry Potter_

Folding the rest of the parchment, he beckoned for Hedwig to come, and tied the parchment around her leg before letting her out the window. He was lucky that they had recently found a way to enchant their owls to remain invisible to everyone's eyes around a Fidelius enchanted home. If it hadn't been for Flitwick's wonderful charms and incantations, he wouldn't be able to contact any of his friends throughout the summer.

"Hey mate," Ron greeted, when the redhead saw Harry enter the living room.

Ron never took bad news that well – bad being an understatement. He had tried his hand on being a good boyfriend, he really did – he went so far as to stay outside her bedroom door at night, just in case she needed someone besides Ginny. All of it was for naught, when Hermione simply ignored all of his advances.

"Ron," Harry nodded in greeting, and looked around the barren room.

"Ginny's with 'Mione," Ron mumbled, before turning his head away in favor of eying the miniature model of their Quidditch selves on a map of Hogwart's Quidditch pitch.

"..." Harry decided not to comment, and instead sat down near Ron as he began to talk of lighter topics – like his plan for the Quidditch team for their final year.

The two had come to terms of their agreement for their seventh year's Quidditch team – they would be co-captains, a mutual agreement on both parts.

This was a decision that they happily benefited from, but it was now something that Ron had recently taken seriously, more so than should be healthy. After Hermione's blow out on Ron, just two days ago, and right after the funeral, Ron had taken to planning out strategies for the Gryffindor Quidditch team with gusto. At first it was an acceptable refuge for the redhead, but everyone soon saw how much Ron had changed.

Ron's new take on planning Quidditch strategies was so obsessive that it made Oliver Wood's fanatic attitude toward Quidditch itself appear mild. Ron Weasley practically lived and breathed for it.

Without Hermione in Ron's life, he was at a loss of what to do, and turned to the only thing he could think of – Quidditch.

(Everything is falling apart – Hermione won't talk to anyone. She only spoke a few times, and it was out of a need-to-know basis; she informed the Order about funeral plans, and settling affairs. As far as we know, she hasn't responded, much less read, the letters on her desk. And Ron, Ron is burying himself into Quidditch far more than anyone should. He would rather think about Quidditch rather than _eat_! It's like hell froze over...)

Harry shook his head, and left Ron to his own devices. Taking one last look at his best friend, and noticing how focused he was on the miniature pieces, Harry left the room.

"To him, it probably has," Harry mumbled aloud, making his way back upstairs.

"""""""""""

The tension within Grimmauld Place did not alleviate, no matter how hard Mrs. Weasley and the others tried. Hermione could care less what happened, and Ron was too immersed in his activities to notice. Although Harry tried his best to fix the rift that was created between them, nothing worked. Instead, he spent most of his time helping Mrs. Weasley around Grimmauld. If not, he would conduct research methods of how past Dark Lords were defeated in the Black Library. It was futile, but he had managed to gather a few interesting offensive spells that weren't quite so dark.

Before anyone knew it, the momentous day arrived – the joining of Bilius Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

The wedding was held in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. The wedding was initially scheduled to be held at the Burrow. However, that idea was turned down when the Order mentioned how difficult it would be to maintain a defense should Voldemort attack. At Hogwarts, there was a higher chance of defending themselves, and a minimal chance of attack.

Since the lich and the golems attacked the school, the Ministry alongside the seasoned Professors of Hogwarts, worked together to ensure a higher rate of safety for the students. How much the runes and spell work will be effective remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the joining ceremony had eventually settled, and now the day finally arrived. Flowering azaleas, white roses, and magnolias decorated the Great Hall. The whole Great Hall was decorated to the brink with beautiful summer flowers. The ground was transformed into fresh cut grass, with a single white carpet cutting down the center of the room. The ceiling, as always, viewed the magnificent blue sky of the summer day. And the walls of the room were littered and covered with floras. It was beautiful, and one that would surely be remembered.

The wedding itself was stunning. It was not too different from a muggle marriage ceremony– with key exceptions. For example, the bride and groom didn't wear muggle clothing, but wizarding robes that were fancier, and ceremonial-looking, if there is such a word. The bride didn't wear a veil, or hold flowers like a muggle one did. And she was not escorted by her father down the aisle. Everything else remained the same, though no priest was present but an advocate from the Ministry. In this case, Albus Dumbledore was the one to bind the lovely couple together. And when the kiss was proclaimed, it was _magical_.

Yes, _magical_.

When a Wizarding couple decides to get married, there are certain benefits that come along with the bad. The magic between the couple are shared, so long as the love between the two remains intact throughout the years. Emotions are enhanced so that the two could better understand one another – something that would either make, or break any relationship, whether it is contractual or not. However, it carries a side effect that makes others seriously consider having a wizarding wedding. If one of the couple died, the other would soon follow. How long the other would last is simply determined by how much that person wants to live, be it a few days, weeks, months, or years. Nevertheless, it would never extend further than a year or two. Another side effect to the binding is that when one of the two feels pain from a magical curse or hex, the other would feel it as well – though less in its effects, depending how far apart the two of them are.

Thus, when Bilius Weasley and now-proclaimed Fleur Weasley were finally bonded, the witnesses were amused by the newlywed's antics.

Bill and Fleur felt the full extent of their emotions for one another. A glance from each other would send the two to blush like no tomorrow. When they were forced to kiss during the reception, it had intensified to the point that they needed to be pried away from one another. So even if anyone had doubts about the love that the two shared beforehand, it completely vanished by the end of the day.

The love that the newlywed's shared, coupled by Wizarding magic, had given everyone who attended a view of just how much Bill and Fleur were in love.

"Harry."

The raven-haired wizard shifted his gaze away from the blushing newlyweds, and smiled at his past love.

"Serenity."

"I never knew that Wizarding weddings like this were so fascinating." Serenity complimented.

"I know that you didn't seek me out just to say that," Harry retorted, amused.

"You're right," Serenity's eyes twinkled in silent laughter, before they dimmed and stared at him seriously, "I'm worried about what's happening in our world."

At her words, Harry froze, and cast his head aside to stare at the wedding reception, his emerald green eyes absorbing and memorizing the exuding amount of happiness radiating from everyone.

"The Professors are worried as well; I hear them talking all the time. And the Daily Prophet is filled to the brink with articles about the Death Eaters! It's..." Serenity trailed off, and simply sighed.

Silence came between them.

"There's nothing we can do, but wait," Harry stepped forward to grab hold of Serenity's hand.

Serenity looked at their entwined fingers and grasped it, squeezing it gently in response.

"Still, the way things are now...it's only a matter of time."

Harry looked at her in the eye, trying to decipher her words before it finally sunk in, a bitter smile crawling up on his lips.

"Yes."

Serenity smiled back, but more out of encouragement.

"_We_ will be fine. Besides we've trained hard enough as it is. And when the term starts again, I'm sure..." Harry stopped when he saw their Headmaster approach.

"Harry, Serenity..." Dumbledore greeted, twinkling blue eyes shining in merriment.

"Headmaster," both nodded in greeting.

"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation."

The two shared a look.

"You two may very well wonder about your training," Dumbledore paused to see their reaction and was pleased when they nodded in assent, "As you two will be turning of age this summer, I see no harm in having the both of you resume your training..."

The two cast incredulous looks at one another – catching his hidden meaning. Could this mean...?

Amused, Dumbledore continued, "Yes, Ms. Moon shall be leaving Hogwarts and head to..."

He paused before bending down a bit to whisper, "Grimmauld Place."

To be continued...

"""""""""""""""""


	23. Chapter 23

Title: Needed

Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Sailor Moon belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Modified: May 10, 2009.

"""""""""""

Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London - formerly the home of the Black family. It was a tall terraced house, decrepit but reasonably sized. There was nothing desirable about the old house aside from the fact that it is the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, and it was walking distance for King's Cross. This was also the current residency that Serenity Moon found herself in just a few days into the month of July.

Upon entrance, there were a few things she had to endure - having sworn an Oath of Secrecy for the Order of the Phoenix, and Mrs. Black.

_"Filthy muggle loving traitor! How dare you defile my home! You're a disgrace..."_

Yes, there were things that Serenity Moon found irritating about the old house. However, there were a couple of benefits about being there - one of them being her friends, and the other being outside of Hogwarts. She hardly spent time outside school grounds.

Despite the fact that she escaped the walls of her institution, her expectations of the outside world were something else entirely. It was disconcerting to find just how 'well' her precious friends were.

She knew that Hermione lost her family during the early parts of summer. She knew that a rift had suddenly formed between the Golden Trio. And she knew that her dear friend, Hermione, had fallen into a depression.

What she did not know was how damaging it would be.

At first glance nothing _appeared_ to be any different between the three Gryffindors sans Ginny Weasley. Minutes passed and Serenity could feel the tension within the room begin to heighten.

Ginny was the first to break.

It was to be expected, the soon-to-be 6th year was not as close to the three. So when Serenity saw the female abruptly stand up and scurry out of the room, she wasn't the least bit surprised.

The next to leave was Hermione, who had mutely risen from her chair with a curt, "I'm going to my room."

It was then that Serenity had finally come to terms with the fact that _nothing_ would be the same anymore. If the Golden Trio's friendship were incapable of fixing the rift between themselves, what would become of their friendship?

"It's not your fault, you know," Ginny commented by her side later that night.

The redhead had shown up, offering her company. It was an act of comfort that she was inwardly pleased about.

"I know, but they're my friends."

"Has Harry told you everything that happened?"

Serenity nodded in reply, causing the redheaded female to sigh aloud.

"If Harry can't fix it, and my idiot brother and Hermione refuse to even talk to each other, there's not much else we can do." Ginny sadly informed her, "It's _frustrating_!"

Serenity winced at seeing Ginny's frustration.

"For all the intelligence that Hermione possesses, she can be dimwitted sometimes!" Ginny dryly remarked, "She's blinded by this depression of hers that she won't allow herself to be comforted by those who bloody well _cares_ about her!"

"It looks that way," Serenity sadly agreed.

And it was true. As the days drew on, Hermione shrouded herself in books, tomes, parchment, quills, and ink. She endured the unnecessary mothering from Mrs. Weasley by agreeing to be present during meals, but refused and rebuked people's offers of holding conversation with the bushy-haired Gryffindor.

She even ignored Serenity's sincere sentiments and friendship. This made her frown. Just how deeply affected was Hermione by the loss of her blood relatives?

"Hermione was always close to her parents," Harry informed her one day.

"I could see that - they were dentists, right?"

"Yes, and she would talk about the trip that she had with them. Her eyes would light up every time she talked about her parents," Harry continued, ruffling his already mussed up hair in the process, "I think that's why she has become the way she is now..."

"…"

"She spent most of her life in her parents' company. And then it all changed when she entered Hogwarts, and befriended me and Ron. Over the years, she gradually spent more time in our presence, than them. Then, this summer... she hardly spent a week in their company before leaving them for Grimmauld."

Serenity grew silent, musing over what Harry just told her. After absorbing the information he provided her with, she instantly felt her own regret grow.

Didn't she spend less time with her own family?

"Not only does she feel guilty for not spending time with them, but she probably feels responsible for their death," Harry softly added; he was incapable of hiding the pain he felt, "She's distancing herself from us..."

Serenity blinked in surprise and looked at Harry in askance, a silent omission of, "_What do you mean?"_

"She wasn't there to protect them," Harry whispered, "And she... probably blames me, even if just a little, for what happened to her family. No other muggle family was harmed that day. Only the Grangers died, and it was because of her friendship with me."

It was then Serenity felt fear grip in her heart - would one horrible event tear their friendship apart?

Instead of trying to quickly find a way to mend the gap between them, she simply observed. It was all she could do. She needed to keep reminding herself to be patient, to give them time, to... not get directly involved.

(This is a test of friendship between those three. Surely they'll be fine...) Serenity sadly told herself, as she watched the trio grow further apart with each passing day.

Ginny noted this and commented on it one day, "Those idiots! Why are they letting themselves fall apart like this?!"

"I don't know, Ginny. Do you think they'll manage to fix it themselves?"

The redhead paused and contemplated on the idea, "Maybe - nothing _this_ horrible has happened to them before. There was that time in third and fourth year, but it was nothing as significant as... Hermione's parents."

Serenity's concern only grew more.

""""""""""""""

July 31 was a beautiful Saturday for anyone who wants to spend their day outside, to enjoy the sunshine, to enjoy the company of friends, to enjoy...anything.

With the way things have been going, one would expect that this particular day could – at least – be spent agreeably. However, expecting something and receiving it are different from one another.

That morning, the children woke up to the smell of a pleasant aroma wafting from the kitchen downstairs. The day started out in a kick-off as Mrs. Weasley had woken an hour early to begin a large breakfast, cooking all of Harry's favorite meals.

After all, it was Harry Potter's 17th birthday.

The day had grown gradually better when Hermione and Ron had paused in their own self-absorbed thoughts to murmur a greeting to the raven-haired teenager, wishing him a 'Happy Birthday'. It had steadily increased when they were all sent to the Ministry to get their Apparate licenses sans Serenity Moon, who hadn't had the time to practice how to Apparate. Of course that didn't deter Serenity from accompanying them with Remus and Mr. Weasley.

The good mood stopped shortly after the three received their licenses, when the atmosphere was ruined by several witches and wizards who began shouting and screaming in fear. A few had run into the building, and noticed them. It grew worse when they approached their 'Chosen One' and asked him to save them. A _seventeen_ year old, who just received his Apparate license, and had _yet_ to _graduate_ from Hogwarts was asked to play hero!

When Remus Lupin and Mr. Weasley asked what the matter was, a string of Aurors came running. By the time they passed, the two adults noticed that Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Serenity were gone. With a troubled look on their faces, they decided to follow the Aurors and see where they had led them.

"""""""""""""

Destruction. Mayhem. Confusion. Disorder.

Crying children, frantic parents, distraught lovers, and distracted individuals.

There was so much commotion within the Ministry that no one save tenacious Aurors and other driven individuals could sort out what was happening. Thus, when Harry arrived to the center of the Ministry, he noticed the inflow of wizards and witches, and the bruised and bloodied Aurors. He knew what had happened. No, not _had_ but _is_ happening.

"What's going on?" Hermione's soft voice spoke out; it was the first time in a long while that Hermione voluntarily spoke.

"An attack." Ron surmised, his blue eyes studying the round of people and Aurors, assessing the damage.

"Death Eaters?" Hermione's tone of voice holding a tilt of fear and apprehension.

"No doubt."

Hermione's hands, as Serenity could see, were shaking. Before she herself could react, Ron unconsciously stepped closer and grabbed a hold of them. What occurred right after made Serenity smile – Hermione didn't refuse his offer of comfort and support.

(Maybe things are turning for the better – at least between Ron and Hermione.)

This train of thought stumbled into a stop when Serenity's eyes widened at the sight of what happened next. Right in front of her, towards the entrance, a group of Aurors suddenly screamed accompanied by witches and wizards. Bodies began falling one over the other, while the survivors were scrambling back, unsure of whether or not they should make a run for it or stay and try to be brave. A few people allowed their fears to win over, as they turned around and left the brave behind. But it was all for naught when a large group of Death Eaters came in, preceded by two Dementors.

Cold crept into the room, freezing several, if not all, the occupants in the room with fear. Serenity watched the Dementors in morbid fascination as one of them took hold of a wizard. It held the wizard with its rattling skeletal hand, and tipped back its hood. A skeletal face was revealed, and slowly, methodically the face bent down and _kissed_ the wizard, sucking its soul right out of its body. And without a second thought, the Dementor dropped the empty, emotionless body onto the ground and moved forward, seeking its next victim.

Coming out of a trance, Serenity forced the ingrained image out of her head, and looked to her side. Worry overtook her senses as she saw Hermione and Ron crowded around Harry. His body was pale with sweat pouring from his skin, drenching him. His eyes were dilated and his breathing heavy. Harry was a mess, and she wondered why he was this way.

"What's going on?" Serenity asked, concern heavily laced over her tone of voice.

"Harry's afraid of Dementors, they have a bad effect on him." Ron surmised, not even bothering to look at her as he tried to shake the raven-haired teen from his current state.

"We need to get out of here!" Hermione hissed, forgetting her past attitude in favor of a more serious event.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" Ron hissed, anger and frustrating winning over as he tried to help his friend.

Shaking her head, Serenity licked her lips and stepped closer, about to cast a charm to levitate Harry's form when another beat her to it.

"_Mobilicorpus_."

Harry's body was levitated and moved away, being transported away from the entranceway and to another hallway. Without hesitation, the three teenagers followed and caught up to Remus and Mr. Weasley, who had thankfully arrived.

"We'll need to move as quickly as we can. The Death Eaters have surely seen us, and so have the Dementors." Mr. Weasley informed them, as he doubled back and began to walk behind the teenagers, acting as a shield in case the Death Eaters ran after them.

"Why haven't they caught up?" Hermione frowned in thought.

"...they're busy toying with those left behind." Ron softly answered, knowing that what he said was harsh, but true.

No other word was spoken after Ron's statement.

Thankfully, hardly anyone was at the other side of the Ministry apart from a few wizards and witches who were fortunate enough to stumble into this small sanctuary. When Mr. Weasley and the others came into the small room, all eyes warily focused in on them before they relaxed, knowing that they wouldn't be attacked anytime soon. It was then that Harry finally showed signs of consciousness.

"What happened?" Harry groaned, focusing in on his surroundings.

"You can gather a guess," Ron grimaced as he recollected past events.

"...I should have known something like this would happen," Harry bitterly said.

"No one is omnipresent," Remus interjected, placing a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

"We should get out of here before they arrive," Mr. Weasley added, looking around the room.

"And how do we do that? We're sitting ducks!" Ron cried out.

"Ronald Weasley!" Mr. Weasley reprimanded, causing the redheaded teen to droop.

"I hate to say it, but the kid is right," one of the wizards dejectedly stated, "This place is the farthest from any of the entranceway and exits."

While the adults began to talk about how hopeless everything was, Serenity began walking around the room, studying the embrasures and cracks along the walls and ceilings. And catching on to what the other teen was doing, Harry, Ron, and Hermione mimicked her as well.

(This place, there has to be a reason for why this room was made...) Serenity's lips thinned, her eyes narrowed.

Just then the doors of the room flew open, and a certain gray-eyed, well-dressed young man came inside. All eyes flew toward him, their postures tensing up.

"Malfoy!" Ron and Harry's voice echoed together.

"Well, well if it isn't Weasel and Potter," Draco Malfoy's voice reverberated in the room as he stepped inside.

"What are you doing here?" Ron's eyes narrowed, "Have you come to cause us more trouble?"

An elegant eyebrow rose in reply as he simply closed the door behind him.

"I assure you I have no time for our petty squabbles; I have more important things to do," Draco drawled, as he brushed pass them, knowing that all eyes were trained on him.

However, as he stepped pass Ron and Harry, and a few lingering wizards and witches, Draco stopped short of his intended site. His gray eyes fell on a certain witch, and at the sight of her, his eyes lit up in glee.

"Serenity."

"Draco."

The greeting came up short when his primary reason for being in this room came to light. A frown marred his perfectly school features, and he immediately sought a way to rectify it. With few measured steps, Draco closed the distance between them and grabbed hold of her arm.

"You shouldn't be here. The Death Eaters are coming, and I found that the Dark Lord has just arrived." Draco revealed. His words instantly caused distress to amplify within the room.

Serenity looked up at Draco's eyes, and saw fear, and knew that he spoke the truth.

With a nod, Draco released his hold on her, "I'm not sure how long until they're here, but there is a secret passage that leads to a muggle alleyway within this room. My father told me before sending me here."

Without stopping, Draco moved to the back end of the room where a crowd of wizards were standing. He simply stared at them appraisingly before the wizards moved aside, letting the young aristocrat through. With them out of the way, Draco took out his wand and tapped at the clear space of a wall. The wall glowed momentarily before coming to life and slid aside to reveal a narrow passageway.

"I'll stay behind until the last person has left," Draco crisply informed the occupants of the room.

Unhesitatingly, the wizards and witches nearby jumped, and began to scramble to get out of the place, causing them to bicker and quarrel.

"Enough!" Harry's voice rose in crescendo, silencing them all, "You're wasting more time by standing here and fighting with one another."

"He's right." Remus nodded in agreement.

"I advise that those who know how to defend themselves best go first," Ron stepped in, his eyes unusually focused and determined – it was then that Serenity recognized why that was, it was the look Ron always wore when he played chess or was focused on Quidditch strategies. He was Ron Weasley at his best.

"Follow through with those who cannot protect themselves, with children as our main priority in receiving protection." Hermione added, fear no longer gripping her as she realized how important the situation is.

At that, a few adults quieted at realizing how rational these children were in their reasoning. Reluctantly, they obeyed and soon the room was clearing out with Remus in the lead.

"Thank you," Serenity smiled softly at Draco, gripping his cold hand into hers.

"I only did it because you were here," Draco looked away, a small blush tingeing his pallid skin.

"Nevertheless, you showed us the way out. You even offered to be left behind to give us time," Serenity added, kissing his cheek in the process.

"Yes, thank you, Malfoy," Harry contributed, his wand out as he faced the closed doorway.

He was now feeling a small trickle of the effects of Voldemort's presence, meaning that he was close by.

"I hope they hurry soon," Hermione fretted, eying between the doorway and the passageway.

"It won't take too long now," Mr. Weasley amiably stated, but his posture proved otherwise if his shifty eyes and tense posture was anything to go by.

As the last of the lingering wizards left, Draco suggested for Serenity to go first and Harry agreed right alongside him.

"No." Serenity firmly disagreed with their suggestion, "I won't leave you two alone!"

"But Serenity, this is You-Know-Who!" Ron threw his arms in the air, "When you..."

"I know what happened there, Ronald Weasley," Serenity stressed his name, "I still won't leave."

"She's a stubborn one, isn't she?" Harry eyed the girl as he looked in askance at Draco Malfoy.

"Unfortunately," Draco gave a long suffering sigh, before smirking at the raven-haired teenager who mimicked his smile.

"We don't have much time!" Mr. Weasley grieved, and as he said those words Harry gave a sharp hiss as he almost fell to his knees if not for Hermione and Ron supporting him.

"He's here."

At those words, the doors burst open to reveal several Death Eaters, their white masks on their face.

"Why it looks like we hit the jackpot!"

"Leave!" Draco shouted towards the Golden Trio.

Hesitant at first, Hermione and Ron supported Harry as they began their trek into the passageway.

"No, we can't!" Harry protested, his face in a grimace as the link between him and Voldemort grew stronger.

"Potter, get going or I'll fucking hex you!" Malfoy shouted.

"Thank you, Draco..." Hermione whispered as they passed the Slytherin Prince.

At his nod of acceptance, Hermione gave a light smile before taking Harry through the passageway, and disappearing from the room.

Right then several curses winded through the room, causing debris and dust to filter throughout the air.

"My my a Malfoy willingly helping the Boy-Who-Refused-to-Die, a mudblood, a whore, and mudblood-loving fools."

Serenity visibly flinched at the nickname associated with her; it didn't take a genius to figure out who was who.

"Shut it, Lestrange, we have no time for this."

"Are you proud with what your son has become, Lucius?"

"Serenity, get going," Draco hissed, seeing as she was the only one left aside from Mr. Weasley.

More hexes and curses were flung their way, and Draco immediately reacted by erecting a shield while taking Serenity with him out of harm's way.

"I'll close the door behind you," Draco whispered again, shooting a string of hexes towards the Death Eaters.

"And leave you to die?" Serenity cried out in outrage, bringing her wand out and shooting spell after spell towards the Death Eaters, "I'll never leave you. Never!"

At this, Draco knew it was useless. Especially when Serenity trained her wand at the passageway and closed it firmly shut. Their fate was inevitably sealed now. It would be three against a small horde of Death Eaters, sans Voldemort.

Just then the Death Eaters tensed up before falling into two lines, clearing the path from the doorway. A man in dark swirling robes stepped in, and the Death Eaters bowed low.

Lord Voldemort had arrived.

"""""""""""

Harry fought hard against his best friends, but it was to no avail. The pain in his scar surged at an incredible level, higher than the last time he faced against Voldemort. The pain was so immense that he had a hard time trying to stay conscious!

"We left them behind!" Harry screamed in outrage, "How could you let yourselves do that?!"

"It was for the best, Harry!" Hermione shouted right back, tears glistening in her eyes, "Do you think it was easy for us?!"

"Hermione's right, Harry," Ron said softly, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder, "You have to remember, we're Gryffindors – we're supposed to be the ones who stay around. We're not supposed to run away..."

It was evident in Harry's eyes that Ron's words pained him greatly. He was known for his loyalty, for his courage – he was one who refused to back down_, ever_.

Bowing his head, Harry stopped fighting his friends and they continued their trek down the narrow passageway in silence. Each one wondering if they would ever see Mr. Weasley, Serenity, and Draco ever again.

"""""""""""

Crystalline blue eyes slowly opened - a low groan and pained sides.

Hissing in pain, Serenity tried to get up but found that she couldn't. A few tries later, she gave up and lay back down, grimacing when she felt sharp rocks beneath her. With a defeated sigh, she felt weariness creep up into her system. Before long, she fell back, unconscious.

(I wonder if the others are okay...) Serenity wearily thought.

Unbeknown to her, Mr. Weasley was to her left, a pile of Death Eaters littered around him, and Draco Malfoy was to her right, propped up against a wall, his hand gripping tightly on his wand.

"""""""""""

It took 24-hours before they found them, and it was a mess.

Mr. Weasley's wand arm was severely broken to the point that many wondered if the Skele-Gro potion would really work. Fortunately enough, the potion did work, though it took a day longer than usual. What they hadn't expected was when Mr. Weasley tried to pick up his wand – the wood fell to the ground.

Mr. Weasley would have to go through extensive treatment for his wand arm to normally function.

Draco Malfoy was magically drained, and hadn't woken up until three days later. Even then, there were internal injuries from unknown hexes and curses. He had been unable to perform to his usual standard until a week after.

Serenity Moon had luckily come off better than the other two. She had broken her left leg, but it was quickly restored into working order.

Despite their fortunate timing in retrieving the survivors from the wreckage, fixing the Ministry back into working order was something that was not quickly remedied. The survivors were few and far between, and even with the survivors their mental capabilities were questionable. Aside from that, there was a mess within the surviving Ministry workers as they scrambled to find ways in tracking down the muggles to obliviate their mind from seeing the fight against the Death Eaters. It took weeks before they fixed that mess, and even longer to restore the Ministry building. And even then the Ministry was not up to par – they would have to find more Ministry workers, loss paperwork, etc.

Nothing would ever be the same within the Wizarding World.

"Draco? What are you going to do now?" Serenity softly asked, leaning against the window of St. Mungo's Hospital room.

"Who knows?"

"You can't go back to Malfoy Manor, your father..."

"...mother came to visit yesterday."

Serenity looked sharply at the solemn teenager sitting on the hospital bed, and gave a sympathetic smile.

"She shouldn't have; it would be dangerous if anyone was to tell him," Draco paused a bit, his pale hands clenching as he gathered his thoughts together, "But she did."

"Oh Draco..." Serenity felt her heart give out. She couldn't imagine the danger Mrs. Malfoy would have gone through just to warn her son.

"She told me it isn't safe for me to return to the Manor. That Father is furious with me. So she gave me a key to a vault she opened just for me. She said it was all she could do...to make sure I would be well provided for," Draco's voice faltered in the end.

At this point, Serenity couldn't stop herself and approached him. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around him, and held him.

"Do you think she's alright?" Draco whispered aloud.

"Of course she is – she's a Malfoy, isn't she?" Serenity whispered back, and tightened her hold over him.

"Yeah..."

But in his mind, in _both_ of their minds, they weren't sure and wondered if she really was fine.

To be continued...

"""""""""""""""""


	24. Chapter 24

Title: Needed

Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

The first part of this chapter mostly comes from Silverfall by Ed Greenwood. I edited it a bit, but most of the words originally belong from the first few pages of Silverfall.

This chapter shows how the hell those three survived the last chapter.

Modified: May 10, 2009.

"""""""""""

_Look upon me, and know Magic._

_I am Mystra._

_I am the Weaver, the Road Ascending, the One True Way._

_Terrible I must be, all too often, and the mortals whom I so love often cry out at me, or entreat me to work magic for them, or unfold all its mysteries to them at once._

_When you feel lonely, or lost, and think dark magics raised against you, remember this moment. Feel the weight of my power, as it flows. My power, bent upon you as I regard you now... touched and awed by it, you yet live. I am always here, all about you. You are never alone. I flow where life flows, wherever winds blow and water runs and the sun and moon chase each other, for there is magic in all things._

_I watch over all who work with the Weave – a tapestry of power beyond the minds of mortal – or meddle in its workings. I watch most those who fascinate me with their daring, their accomplishments, their characters... or their love._

_I speak of the Chosen One and Cosmos. I have watched and waited. They are a delight to me. And I regret that they do not live amongst my other Chosen. But it matters not, for I love them. And thus, I shall send one of mine to teach and help them grow. _

_For I am Mystra, I am the Lady of Might and the Mistress of Magic! I am Power Incarnate! _

_Behold me and fear me. Yet behold me and love me. I am the One True Spell at the heart of all spells. _

_And I shall lead these two the way._

"""""""""""

Whispers entered his mind as he stood atop a cliff - whispers of instructions and advice in a loving caress. He listened and subconsciously agreed.

Some were of the past, others of the present, and few were of the nearby future.

"_The world will change around you, and I shall command you to do things that are hard, and that will seem cruel or senseless..."_

The sound of laughter, one reminiscent to that of tinkling bells. Wisps of dark hair, framing a naked torso. Lips akin to fire, magic, and pure unadulterated power – majestic and overwhelming.

Memories flitted through his mind, and a small smile broke free of his aged face. His Lady had just visited him and he would follow through to the letter.

With an imperceptible nod of assent, the gray-bearded man with alert, dancing blue-gray eyes in nondescript attire turned around, still puffing away from his meerschaum pipe.

However, as soon as his torso turned around he was overcome with white fire roaring around him, searing him to the bone. No matter how many countless of times he traveled this way, when necessary, he could not get used to the intense pain that he felt. He couldn't breathe, felt himself torn, tugged, and swept away. But soon, he would feel the pain begin to ebb and go away.

By the time he came to his senses, he found himself somewhere _foreign_. He was not naked, surprisingly enough, but dressed in a strange attire not of his own – robes, as usual, but black and coarser in material. Everything else was the same, aside from the rising smoke curling up and drifting away from his body. He was still unchanged, unmarked.

Looking around, and studying this new world – he was pretty sure it was a different world; he had not lived several hundreds of years not to know basic knowledge of the realm he resided in. What he saw was not completely strange, but _different_. But before he could study the site, strings of curses flew around him making him blink in faint surprise.

There were a small horde of robed humans with masks on their faces holding wands and shooting curses at three unmasked humans. A young man, a young woman, and an adult.

These three were weathered and tired, and soon... two of them – the young man and the adult, collapsed. This sent a mild cheer from the group of masked humans, and the young woman, barely holding her own anymore, flashed mild irritation at them.

It was strangely disturbing that they had yet to notice his presence in the shadowy corner of the semi-small room.

As he continued to observe, he clenched a firm hold over his staff and bit the tip of his pipe. The girl was obviously outnumbered, magically drained, and now unfocused – possibly a concussion. Puffing another green smoke from the pipe, he tightened his hold and made a readying stance. He couldn't stand by and allow this group to harm the girl.

Right before he attacked, he noticed something grow and hover above the now-unconscious girl - Mystra's eyes amidst white flames.

It was only there for a few seconds, causing a number of these masked humans to falter, but as soon as it arrived it disappeared.

He took this initiative to strike. With a calm grace, he stepped forward into the fray and _hobbled_ right in front of the fallen girl. Feigning surprise in his weathered features, he stared at the fallen girl, boy, and adult. Then at the broken fixtures, walls, and floor.

"Oh my, is this not the way to the washroom?"

"Old man, who are you?" growled one of the masked humans, sounding of male origin.

"Oh, me?" he turned around, alert, blue-gray eyes appearing surprised to see the number of robed and masked people surrounding him, "No one of importance. Pray, tell me... which direction is the washroom, or do you happen to have a chamberpot handy?"

"Chamber...pot?" one of them whispered to another. That question only got a round of shrugs and scowls.

This old weathered man _must_ be playing them for fools.

"Tell us old man!" one of the more impatient robed men shouted, shooting a red colored spell near his feet.

This only earned a raised eyebrow and feigned confusion.

"Now, now patience is a virtue," he lightly chuckled, pounding his staff onto the debris-filled ground.

"This is getting us nowhere, let's just kill him now," muttered a round of the robed men.

"Patience is a virtue, as the old man says," a cold voice hissed into the suddenly-still air.

At once the men parted to reveal an unmasked robed man. He was a tall, formidable man with blood-red eyes and jet black hair. Long, nimble fingers held a raised wand toward him, poised and totally in-control. He knew right then and there, that _this man _must be their leader.

"Now tell me, why do you not fear me and my Followers? Others would have fled, begged for mercy, or reacted foolishly by defying me. But you, you intrigue me. Not once have you shown fear."

"What is there to fear if not fear itself? I have no need to fear for I know Mystra's love for me is still strong."

"Mystra?" a murmur sprang amongst the robed men, and he noticed how their leader looked at him all the harder with piercing eyes.

"No need to fear?" the man laughed, a high, cold laugh that sent shivers down his Followers' spine, but not his. He was used to the dangers of the world from his long line of experience, and had surely faced worse things than a simple _laugh_.

"I could use you amongst my Followers. Will you join me? Will you swear your fealty and your services to me? Join and I shall spare you. Join and I shall give you unimaginable power. And you shall not need to fear even death itself."

The man stepped closer, and with his free hand offered it to him, his scarlet eyes looking straight at him, searching him. As if he could find all the answers by simply looking straight into his blue-gray eyes. But he offered no answer, and he did not hesitate when he replied.

"I have already sworn my services to someone else – someone far greater than you. I belong to no one save my Lady Mystra."

This brought a round of angry robed men, and their leader held a livid expression on his face by being denied. He raised his wand and slashed it in the air, hissing in anger.

"Then I pray that your _lady_ will save you now."

"_Avada Keda..."_

He wove his spell quickly and with practiced efficiency. He did not know what the man was casting nor did he care – he simply reacted, allowing Mystra's magic to work for him. With practiced ease, he formed the necessary spell to allow him to make quick work for the following spell he was about to cast. As a result, his magic was instantaneous as the effects were quickly put into place.

"W-What's this?" one of the robed men shouted.

The walls, the ceiling, and the floors - everything began to shake and crumble intensively. As a result of the area-effect spell, he crouched low and towards the ground, weaving another spell in the process – this time surrounding him, the girl, and her companions as much as he can. He watched with alert blue-gray eyes as the masked robed figures in front of him began to panic, and their leader quickly ordered them to flee.

"I won't forget this," the man hissed, livid that he had interrupted his spell before he could fully cast it on him.

And then they were gone. Shortly thereafter, the effects of the earthquake slowed down, and stopped, leaving nothing more than rubble in its wake. Expelling a breath, he dropped the shield that he erected and stood up. With a careful eye, he looked over the girl's unconscious figure before moving onto the other two.

They would be fine for the next day or so. Reassured that they would live, he left the site. After all, he can't remain here. He had a mission to accomplish.

"_Find Hogwarts."_

An odd request from his Lady of Mysteries, but one that he would not deny. Thus, he left the three behind and made his way out of the chamber. He was still unsure of his direction, but he hoped that the path he took would lead him to this place or this person named... Hogwarts.

"""""""""""""

"I find it strange how those three not only survived their encounter with the Dark Lord, but from the fallen Ministry building as well."

"So do I, Severus, so do I. But we must accept that with Ms. Moon, not everything is as comprehensive as we would like it to be."

Headmaster Dumbledore took off his spectacles, rubbing the bridge of his nose, before settling it back on. He had been going over a few of the salvaged paperwork from the Ministry along with a case file on the survivors – his attention falling on Ms. Serenity Moon.

He knew that she was different, but he had never noticed just _how_ different she was...is. She was not only the last to fall in their encounter with Voldemort, but had come off relatively unscathed save for her broken left leg, one that could easily be remedied with the right potion and incantation.

He frowned.

According to her testament alongside Mr. Draco Malfoy and Arthur Weasley, all three had fallen unconscious with the Death Eaters still surrounding them. If that was the case, then what happened between the time that they fell and the time that the Death Eaters had flown from the scene?

Yes, the building had fallen. But according to the reports, a high-level spell was cast to make that happen.

"Strange."

"You see it as well, don't you, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Severus..." Dumbledore picked up the case statement and studied it a minute longer.

"Ms. Moon has no recollection of ever casting a spell that could cause such a powerful earthquake. Nor do I believe that she knows that such a spell could possibly exist... even with the training that she had undergone with her previous Defense Instructor."

"The only option that we can conceive of is that... someone was there, and had chosen to help them," Dumbledore concluded.

"If so, then why did that person flee the scene?"

"Who knows?" Dumbledore murmured.

Such answers were not forthcoming. Who knew why the person had chosen to leave, instead of staying behind and waiting for help to arrive?

Before he could allow himself to continue with his musing, a knock was heard and he had unconsciously called for the person to come in, revealing a pensive Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, what can I help you with?"

"Albus," McGonagall airily greeted, still frowning in thought, "there is... a man to see you."

This earned the attention of Severus Snape, who looked at his Deputy Headmistress in mild concern. He had never seen the older woman look deep in thought in all his life as a student and later as a Professor of Hogwarts.

"Is there something we should know about him before you send him in, Minerva?" Dumbledore lightly inquired.

"Hmm?" Minerva blinked, clearing the glazed expression over her face, "No-nothing awful, I don't think. It's just...no, never you mind. I'll send him... in."

At that, she left, causing Dumbledore and Severus Snape to briefly lock gazes with one another, before shifting their attention back to the door, just as McGonagall came inside followed by an older man.

At first there didn't appear to be anything startling or _off_ about the stranger. But as he observed the stranger and then at Minerva McGonagall, he knew there had to be something different about the man.

He was dressed in black robes, holding a staff in one hand, a pipe in the other – one that emitted blue and green puffs of smoke. His hair and beard were the color of gray, alert blue-gray eyes, and a hawk-like nose. There was nothing attention-seeking or troubling, at least for now.

"Greetings and welcome to Hogwarts. How may I assist you?"

The man gave a small bow before straightening up again and placed the pipe back into his mouth, giving a small puff of a vile green color in the shape of a small dragon that flitted in small loops and circles around the man before dissipating.

"Ah, so this really is Hogwarts, is it? And it was not the name of a person..." the man nodded to himself, earning bewildered stares from surrounding portraits and Severus Snape.

A person he said, he thought Hogwarts was a person. Yes, Hogwarts was a sentient being, but she was not a person who is physically there to speak to one-on-one.

"No, Hogwarts is a school for wizards and witches ages eleven and above." He answered accordingly.

"Ah...I see," he nodded, aloof as he continued piping away in his pipe, his eyes roving around the circular office.

For some time there was only silence in the room, the tension rising marginally higher with each second that passed. Until, that is, Severus Snape could not reign in his impatience.

"What exactly is your intention for Hogwarts, if I may ask?" Severus coldly inquired, his dark eyes focused on the puffing man.

"Hmm, you know I haven't a clue..." he revealed, still aloof which was very off-putting to the occupants in the room, "But now that you mention it. Do you have any openings in your institution?"

If looks could kill, Severus would have killed that man then and there by his venomous glare alone. Minerva stayed silent, not at all appalled by the man's words. Perhaps this is what was troubling the Transfiguration Professor.

"Actually, we do have an opening," Dumbledore lightly stated, pausing a bit as he wondered to himself if what he was about to offer would be the correct path to take.

"That's good then, I'll take it!" the man said, taking the pipe out of his mouth and brandished it in the process.

Dumbledore blinked. He hadn't even said what the position would be about. Come to think of it, he didn't even know this man's name.

"You don't even know what position you're applying for!"

"Who says that you'll be qualified for the position?!"

"...actually no one applied for the position," one of the portraits muttered aloud.

"...hmm, you're right! Even Professor Snape has yet to turn his paper in." one of the portraits mused aloud.

"The position surely has something to do with teaching your children about magic, correct?"

Dumbledore nodded in assent.

"Then it should be no problem."

"The Defense against the Dark Arts position is something that we have had problems filling in for quite a number of years," Dumbledore tentatively began.

"Defense against the Dark Arts you say?" the man interrupted, "I don't know much about the Dark Arts, but I can teach them magic just the same."

Hearing the man's testament made the room full of occupants question this man's abilities.

Dumbledore sighed. There was no use; they only had one week left until the semester began. Besides, no one else applied for the position, having heard of the rumor flitting around the U.K. - the DADA position being cursed.

"Very well, we will give you a chance. Do you happen to have any credentials, Mr...?"

"Elminster Aumar is the name. Well met, I would say."

"My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of this school. And these are..." Dumbledore waved to the other two, pressing them to introduce themselves.

"Severus Snape, Potions Master."

"And I am Minerva McGonagall, the Professor for Transfiguration. Welcome."

"Welcome indeed."

"Your credentials, Mr. Aumar?" Dumbledore prompted.

"Hmm, that would be difficult to produce," Elminster nodded airily, "No matter. I can always demonstrate my expertise, if you will have me?"

"Very well." Dumbledore accepted, getting up, "We shall have a small duel."

"A duel? I don't mind." Elminster's eyes flashed brightly.

At that point, Dumbledore lead the way to the Great Hall.

With a flick of his wand, he had the tables parted, creating a clearing in the middle of the Hall.

"First blood?" Dumbledore requested, standing across from Elminster.

"Very well, I accept." Elminster acceded

"Minerva, if you don't mind?"

The witch accepted and placed herself between them, her own wand out.

"Please bow."

Dumbledore did, mimicked by Elminster. By the time they straightened, Minerva shouted, "Begin!" And shot sparks into the air.

While Dumbledore stood there, his wand trained on him. Elminster stood with his staff in hand; his pipe had gone into his robes for safe keeping. He stared at the man before him, his blue-gray eyes twinkling and alert.

As he observed Dumbledore, Dumbledore observed him. And then, the man finally reacted. He straightened up and acted.

"_Expelliarmus!_"

Elminster threw out his staff, and did an abjuration spell. At once, the magical barrier was erected, and the spell that Dumbledore cast on him was spun around and turned back on its caster. Seeing this, Dumbledore side-stepped it before dispelling the cast.

"Impressive," Dumbledore commented.

"Thank you."

And then, the wizard cast another spell, this one grander than the standard disarming spell from before.

"_Imberbris nivalise_!"

The conjured spell was a forty-foot radius, and within that space it blocked all sight, and caused the ground to freeze over. This briefly impeded Elminster's sight.

As quickly as the spell was conjured, Elminster broke through without pause. He instantaneously dispelled the area, at least for up to twenty-feet.

This caused gasps from Minerva, while Severus appeared mildly pleased with the level of magic that the man held.

"You will be a great asset to Hogwarts," Dumbledore commented again.

At this, Elminster raised a brow. To him, the spells that were being cast were still low-level and nothing to brag about. To him, he had faced worse, more difficult things.

"But I feel that we should end this soon."

"I agree." Elminster really did agree, having had enough.

And so the older wizard, having lived in his realm for over a thousand years, finally acted on offense instead of defense.

Elminster evoked a beam of intense light in the range of 60 feet, spewing forth from his right hand alone. It filled the room, blinding the occupants of the room. From there, Elminster took advantage of the situation and walked forward and stood right in front of the Headmaster. As the light finally dissipated, everyone gaped at the sight before him.

Elminster stood right in front of Dumbledore, with a dagger in his hand, pointed at his left cheek.

"First blood," Elminster said aloud just as he nicked the Headmaster's cheek, drawing a minuscule amount of blood.

"Winner – Elminster Aumar," Minerva announced, shocked that the Headmaster had lost.

"Well done." Dumbledore murmured, his old hand reaching up to his nicked cheek, and saw the small smudge of blood at the end of his fingertips.

"""""""""""""

"You will be introduced to the others in the morning. For now, I am sure that Minerva will lead you to your chambers where you will stay for the duration of the school semester. And if you need anything for your itinerary for the children, please don't hesitate in coming to me or Minerva for assistance."

"Thank you." Elminster said in thanks, clutching his staff and pipe as he followed the witch out of the room, and down the stairway.

Once the door closed, Severus leveled a stare aimed at Dumbledore but didn't voice out his displeasure.

"There's no need for that Severus. You know how well the new Defense Professor has fared against me. As far as we know, he is fully qualified for the position." Dumbledore said tiredly.

"And for all we know, he could be a spy," Severus hissed.

"And yet when he had me at his mercy, he had done no such thing."

"He could be buying his time, not wanting a witness."

"Perhaps. Or he could truly be a wandering wizard in search of a job."

"Yes, one that just happens to not know what the Dark Arts is, what Hogwarts is, and is well proficient in the art of_ wandless_ magic._" _Severus dryly stated.

"Right."

Severus let out an insufferable sigh and took the stack of papers meant for him from the Headmaster's table and swept out of the door. There was no point staying behind when the Headmaster had no qualms with the new Defense Professor. He just hoped that this Professor wouldn't end up like the others – Merlin knows that their school could use a Professor that wasn't like Quirrel or Lockhart.

To be continued...

"""""""""""""""

Elminster's too difficult for me. I can't remember his character well enough. He's fun to read, but hell on a writer's nerves!

I hope that was enjoyable enough. I won't delve too deeply into his psyche.

_Imberbris nivalise_ – Sleet Storm


	25. Chapter 25

Title: Needed

Chapter 25

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Warning, this chapter is pretty sappy.

Modified: May 10, 2009.

"""""""""""

Groggily Serenity shifted in her bed, trying to get rid of the awful light shining down on her from the window.

"Serenity, get up! Get up!" Ginny threw away her covers, and stood over her, an exasperated expression etched onto her face.

"Why, oh why, did I get stuck in waking you up?" Ginny bemoaned as she saw the silver-blond haired teenager turn over and bury her head into her pillow.

"Need help?"

Ginny turned around to find Draco Malfoy, buttoning up his white-collared shirt, leaving an ample amount of his skin for the public to view. He was a breathtaking sight, and Ginny Weasley had to remind herself for a moment that this guy is a _Slytherin_, and had made fun of her back in her first year.

"If you must," Ginny sighed and stepped back to let the 17-year old work his magic.

Draco smirked in reply before sauntering over to the bed, looking at the sleeping girl. Sitting beside her, he stroked her hair softly and surely before bending down to look at Serenity's sleeping face.

He smiled, a small smile, but one that Ginny caught sight of and took in a breath before remembering to breath. She had never really seen Draco Malfoy smile like that before. She could almost see what Serenity had seen in the Slytherin boy.

"Wake up, Serenity. It's time to get up," Draco whispered, ghosting his lips over Serenity's ear.

She simply smiled before nuzzling deeper into her pillow, making Draco chuckle softly.

Brushing back the strands of hair that fell over her face, Draco leaned and pressed his lips on her cheek. This made her sigh, and she blinked her eyes open, smiling wider at the sight of Draco's smiling face.

"Morning."

"Morning."

Serenity raised her arms up, wrapped them around Draco's neck, and greeted Draco with a chaste kiss. He scowled lightly, making Serenity giggle.

"Morning breath."

"Well it's a nice way to wake up," Serenity said in reply and looked over his shoulder to see Ginny staring at them with barely contained amusement.

"You know we're going to run late, if you don't hurry." Ginny said in greeting.

"Well it's a good thing Draco helped pack my stuff yesterday night." Serenity smirked before reluctantly releasing her hold from Draco and got up.

"Good on you, but you made us miss breakfast!" Ginny retorted, huffing before she fled the room.

"Breakfast?!" Serenity shrieked, pouting as she opened her trunk to retrieve her muggle clothing, "Well that sucks."

"That's what you get for waking up so late."

She frowned at the smirking face before stalking out of the room and into an open bathroom.

""""""""""""

The Hogwarts Express experience was not as grand as she expected it to be. Maybe it's because of everything else that she had been through, or maybe it's something else, it didn't matter. But when Serenity saw the red train, the throng of the crowd, and the slew of luggage, she felt as if she just wanted to get this whole event over with. Therefore, with a resigned sigh she turned around to face her friends only to see that they were no longer there.

"Where did they go?" Serenity said aloud, and began straining her neck, standing on her toes, and trying to see over the head of a number of nameless wizards and witches.

"Hey Serenity."

Serenity nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she was faced with an amused Neville Longbottom standing beside Luna Lovegood.

"Neville, don't do that!"

"Sorry, sorry."

"Don't worry, Serenity. There are no Blibbering Humdingers around," Luna said airily, eyes dreamy as she fiddled with her wand.

"Ah, that's good then," Serenity nodded, smiling at the Ravenclaw.

"What were you looking for?" Neville asked, ignoring what Luna commented. He still wondered if Luna simply said those things to lighten the mood, or she was really serious.

"I lost sight of everyone," Serenity sighed.

"Well we'll help you look for them, won't we, Luna?" Neville turned to her, who nodded.

"It won't take too long, they're over there, you know?" Luna pointed to an open window of the train.

Sure enough when Serenity and Neville turned to that direction, they caught sight of the red haired Weasleys gathered around an open window of the train. Amongst them were a bushy-haired female and a white-blond haired male.

"Well that's a relief," Serenity sighed, "I don't see why they left without me..."

"They probably thought you were following them," Neville gathered his trolley and began pushing it through the throng of people.

"Or Wrackspurts made their brain go fuzzy," Luna helpfully added.

Serenity blinked at this and figured why not?

"That makes sense," Serenity nodded, much to Neville's chagrin.

Along the way, Serenity overheard a number of whispers and pointed stares. All of which had the names of _Malfoy_, _traitor_, and _will pay_. It didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that the school knew what happened over the summer. And it would seem that the Slytherins had taken badly to this new development.

"What happened at the Ministry, is it true?" Neville murmured beside her, his eyes sweeping over the students in the train.

"It depends, what did you hear?" Serenity stalled as they passed over a small group of Slytherins.

"Malfoy helped you guys out of the Ministry. He went against Death Eaters – V-V...You-Know-Who himself."

Serenity remembered how Draco had run in front of her when Voldemort arrived, and tried to defend her himself. That is, until he was knocked away and a swarm of Death Eaters descended on him.

"Yes, he did." Serenity choked out.

Apparently, this was the right thing to say, because Neville gave a satisfied nod in answer.

"I can get used to him."

"Me too." Luna said her dreamy state curiously absent, as she revealed her serious side.

"Thank you," Serenity said in reply, smiling at her friends.

The small group of three finally reached the compartment, and slid the door open, stepped inside, and let the door slide behind them, shut.

"""""""""""

The Great Hall was eerily tense after the Sorting and announcements had been made.

Quite a number of students were staring at the new DADA Professor, and his odd dress robes – it was an odd design of red, purple, and gold. He was also smoking his pipe, emitting green and blue smoke; sometimes the puffs would create small animals for his own amusement. And then while he ate, he would remarkably set his pipe in mid-air, still puffing away, before turning his attention to his meal. These made a great deal of students stare at the man in awe – it was a well-known fact amongst wizards and witches that wandless magic was not an easy feat.

Whilst a number of students focused their attention on the new Defense Professor, Elminster, as he wanted to be called, the others focused their attention on Draco Malfoy.

The students already knew that Mafloy and Moon were in a relationship. A few were skeptical that it would last any longer pass summer, and a number were doubtful that Malfoy's intentions were true. But after the events that had taken place at the Ministry, they were wondering.

Out of all the Houses, the Slytherins were the ones that took the news the hardest. Since the Slytherins were divided into factions, the ones that did not support Malfoy's relationship were already giving the 'Prince' a scathing look. Unfortunately, they had yet to find a replacement leader, what with the Seventh Year graduating and all. While those who supported Malfoy were now wary of the Malfoy's actual intentions. A few who supported Malfoy the previous year only did so, because they thought that it was part of his scheme to retrieve the runaway girl that belonged to the Dark Lord. Now that they found out that he did it purely out of _love_... well, that was a different matter. The Slytherins slowly but surely began to question themselves, and Malfoy all over again.

"Congratulations on making Head Girl, Hermione," Serenity commented, as she heaped a pile of mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"Yeah, congrats," Ron and Harry mumbled through a mouth full of food, causing several occupants nearby to frown in disapproval.

"It'll be a shame that you have to share dormitories with the ferret," Ron added, shooting a sympathetic smile at her girlfriend.

Oddly enough, despite what happened in the Ministry when Ron and Hermione had tentatively fixed their broken relationship, not everything had resolved itself. Yes, they held hands or pecked each other's lips from time to time, but it was cold... as if they were simply in the relationship for lack of anything better to do. Somehow, it was wrong.

But no one said anything. To them, it was better than how it used to be.

"You haven't been listening, have you, Ron?" Hermione dryly accused, her eyes focused more on her plate than on actually conversing with her 'boyfriend'.

"What are you on about?" Ron asked, blinking at his plate as he skewered his pot roast.

"What she's trying to say, mate, is that Malfoy isn't Head Boy." Harry said, amused.

"What?!" Ron blinked, and looked at his best friend and then turned his head around to stare at Malfoy, "If it's not the git, who is it?"

"Blaise Zabini," Serenity answered, "Draco turned down the offer. I still don't know why he did..."

"Bloody hell, I don't even know who Zabini is!" Ron complained and started looking at all the boys in the Slytherin side, "And Zabini is a Slytherin, right?"

"Yes, Ron. Zabini is a Slytherin," Harry chuckled softly.

"So which one is he?"

"The one right next to Draco," Serenity smiled, amused, as she watched the redhead zone in on Blaise Zabini.

"And to think I never noticed him," Ron mumbled to himself.

"Zabini is only ever active when he has reason to be." Ginny commented.

"And how do you know this, Gin?" Ron zeroed in on his little sister.

Ginny chose not to comment as she instantly began to chat excessively to a floundering Neville Longbottom, who shot an apologetic smile at Ron.

Serenity saw this and couldn't help but chuckle alongside Harry and Hermione.

"""""""""""""

Days flew by, and the Slytherins had found themselves with a new leader for the group that didn't support Draco Malfoy – one by the name of Harper, a sixth year. He had only become the leader because the Slytherins had pressured him too – basically he was blackmailed and threatened with bodily harm if he refused. This proved to be a great help to Draco's side, because of the inept and lack of respect that Harper carried with him compared to Draco Malfoy's cool confidence.

"Things are looking up for you, Malfoy," Blaise commented as he walked with the Slytherin to their Potions class.

"Whatever do you mean, Blaise?" Draco lifted an elegant eyebrow.

"You almost have all the Slytherins on your side again," Blaise rolled his dark eyes, a smirk playing at the edge of his lips, "And the school knows it."

Draco smirked, "Of course, it's not like Harper has the same charm and wit as I do."

"You're so full of yourself," Blaise commented before turning into the NEWT Potions level classroom.

If Draco's smirk could have grown wider, it did. With a nonchalant mask finally coming into place, the Slytherin Prince strode into potions.

""""""""""""

By the end of the week, everything had been brought down to a semblance of normalcy. It was normal to see Draco and Serenity together from time to time, as it was normal to see the two around the Golden Trio, or see Serenity join Draco in the Slytherin table, and even in their Common Room. Draco had yet to enter the Gryffindor Common Room, something about not wanting to catch their Gryffindor tendencies, but it didn't bother them one bit.

What was _not _normal was their Defense Professor. Professor Aumar or Elminster, was... _different_. He was eccentric, one could say. Not like Luna Lovegood, but he did come close.

He would teach the students about magic. But not like any of the professors had done before. He told them that wands were simply used as a focus of magic, but not magic itself. That magic is _everywhere_, and in _everything_. He taught them many things, and when he was contested he simply laughed and said that they would need to be more experienced and knowledgeable to completely understand. This confused a lot of the students, but many of the Ravenclaws found his words to be interesting.

What was strange was that whenever they entered the classroom, he would seemingly talk for hours on end, and demonstrate with wandless magic. Yet, when they left the classroom for the next class, filled to the brink with new concepts and ideas, only the allotted time had passed. It was strange, and no one completely understood why that was. It was as if Professor Aumar had placed them in some sort of temporal loop to give his class more time.

But it couldn't be, right?

Nevertheless, the week flew by turning into weeks. And nothing extraordinary occurred. There was the occasional pranks, fights, spats, etc. But nothing life altering or serious.

Until the Daily Prophet came.

**The Burrow Attacked!**

When Hermione's face read the headline of the Daily Prophet, she felt numb, she felt fear, she felt worry, she felt everything and nothing. She felt her senses close. She couldn't see, blinded by tears and a feeling of nausea, she was lightheaded and her nerves were frayed. She was a mess, she knew, but it didn't matter. All she could think about was what she read, what she saw, and what her memories consisted of - her beloved parents.

With a cry of despair, Hermione closed herself up once more.

Watching the bushy-haired witch cry in distress, Harry quickly pried the crumpled newspaper and displayed it on the table. His green eyes quickly widened and he sharply looked at his best mate to watch his reaction.

It wasn't good.

Ron's blue eyes widened, his mouth agape, as if he was in disbelief.

"Mr. and Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger, please come with me." McGonagall's soft voice punctuated the air as she approached the table.

As one, the four rose and left the table and the Hall, following the solemn woman to the Headmaster's office. Behind, Serenity and everyone else that cared to pay attention watched them with sympathetic hearts.

On the paper were the words: _Molly Weasley (47) and her son, Percy Ignatius Weasley (21), found dead_.

Above the caption was a picture of Percy Weasley staring unblinkingly at the camera with Molly Weasley hunched over behind him. It would appear that Percy had died trying to protect his mother, only to have failed in the end.

In the end, Percy lived up to his name, as a chivalrous knight.

"""""""""""""

The news of the Burrow being attacked caused the Gryffindors as a whole to fall into silence. They were mulish and were gingerly stepping around the four, on how to act or speak around them.

The friendship between the Trio were falling fast, and no one knew how to stop it. Hermione had gone back to her old self, seeking solace from her books alone. Ron had evaded his friends, musing to himself about Quidditch strategies. And Harry, Harry holed himself up or went on walks by himself, thinking about how it was his fault that all of this happened.

Ginny, at best, was the easiest to approach – not having the same solid friendship as the Trio. Therefore, Serenity had approached her first and foremost.

"Ginny..." Serenity tentatively began.

"It's like before, except worse." Ginny dryly stated..

"Yeah. From the short time I was staying with your family, I noticed how Mrs. Weasley could bring the family together," Serenity said and then broke into a small smile, "And she's a force to be reckoned with, if anyone tries to defy her."

"I loved her so much," Ginny weakly proclaimed.

"Any child would if they ever met your mother, Ginny," Serenity soothed, drawing the redhead close and hugged her just as Ginny broke down into tears.

Although Ginny had managed to pick herself back up, putting on a brave front. The others were not so lucky, as the Golden Trio continued to fall apart. The loss of Molly Weasly was a hard blow, and no one knew what to do.

"Ron probably blames Harry in some way," Serenity bitterly told Draco one night as the two huddled close together on top of the Astronomy Tower.

"Why do you say that?"

"Ginny told me that Harry managed to save his dad before, when he dreamt of an attack back in fifth year. So Ron is blindly thinking that Harry did this on purpose, not warning the Order and all about the attack," Serenity explained.

Draco simply huffed in annoyance, holding the girl close to his chest.

"Well he's always been an idiot."

Serenity chuckled and rested her head against his chest.

"Hermione isn't taking any of these deaths well," Serenity confided, eyes turning sad, "She lost the Grangers, and now she lost Mrs. Weasley. She spent so much time with the Weasleys that she began to rely on Mrs. Weasley as a mother, and the Burrow as a home away from home."

"I could see that," Draco murmured, resting his chin on top of her head, "The Weasleys are more a family than mine was..."

"They sort of reminded me of mine," Serenity whispered.

Serenity felt the male tense a bit before he held her tighter in his arms.

"Tell me?"

And Serenity, surprisingly enough, did. She told him of her family – Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo. How she had a loving family, though they had their disputes. How her mother and father were loving but strict, and in her father's case, overprotective. Her brother was annoying, but she was fond of him.

In the end, she didn't notice the tear stains falling down her cheeks until Draco wiped them off with his thumb.

In turn, Draco told Serenity about his defective family. It wasn't a picture-perfect family, but he told her how he cared the m. His father was cold, dead-set on serving Voldemort, and blood purity. His mother, while she loved him, loved his father more. It was a reason why she never went against him, and worked in the shadows if she decided to help her only son. It was a failed relationship between the three of them, but he would never regret it. His family in some obscure way meant a lot to him. Perhaps this is what they meant when they say that blood is thicker than water?

The two spoke softly of their families all through the night, and by the time dawn crept up, the two were fast asleep, cuddled against one another, and the Slytherin cloak wrapped around them both.

"""""""""

Mid-October dawned bright and early as Serenity sluggishly pulled herself out of the Common Room. It had taken awhile, but Harry had finally come around to speaking, and willingly allowed himself to move on. She only wished the same could be said for Hermione and Ron.

Come to think of it, she hardly saw Hermione at the meal tables. And she hadn't been by the Gryffindor Common Room since that unfortunate news on the Daily Prophet.

As for Ron, she only ever saw him at meal tables and once or twice in the Common Room. Now he was rumored to spend more of his free time on the Quidditch Field. That, or holed up in his room.

Their behaviors caused a lot of problems within their classes. Hermione would pair herself up with someone that is far away from the other two. Ron would pointedly ignore the Professor until he is forced to pair with the last remaining student left unpaired. And Harry would simply pair himself with either Serenity, or if she's not in the class or not paired with Draco, he would choose someone from another House.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, this would soon be irrelevant when one day this crazed pace came to a halt by the still mysterious and quirky Defense Professor, Elminster Aumar.

""""""""""

"Professor?" Serenity and Harry intoned at the same time.

The gray-bearded Defense Professor had earlier asked the two Gryffindors to stop by his office after dinner, and they complied.

His office was something the two would expect a Ravenclaw to have in their room – books, tomes, and scrolls. There was a staff leaning against the wall, and oddly enough there was his usual pipe hanging in mid-air, continuing to puff livid green and blue smoke.

"I would like to take you two under my wing for a brief time." Professor Elminster requested, "I have spoken to your Headmaster, and he agreed."

"The Headmaster?"

"Us?"

The two said aloud, taken aback. They didn't think that they would have anyone else to teach them after Professor Flamel, but it appears they were mistaken.

"The attacks have gotten worse, have they not?"

"Of course they have!" Harry shouted, distressed by the sheer memory.

After the Daily Prophet's printing of the Burrow being attacked, more had followed, making the students worry for the welfare of their families.

With the Ministry still unstable, they had to make do with the supplies available to them, and try to rebuild while at the same time protect their people. Whilst difficult, the Order tried their best with the any available resources they had left.

"Then I shall teach the two of you."

"But why me?" Serenity voiced aloud. It made sense that Professor Aumar would offer his guidance to Harry. However no one, save for a select few, knew of her true nature of attending Hogwarts. It didn't make sense how Professor Aumar would freely offer his services to her.

"Because Mystra wills it," Professor Aumar succinctly replied.

(Mystra?) Serenity shot Harry a look, who simply shrugged.

"Then..." Serenity and Harry shared another look before replying as one, "we accept."

To be continued...

""""""""""""""


	26. Chapter 26

Title: Needed

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

I apologize for the long wait. Time has flown, and two years have already passed since a new chapter has been posted. Modification has been made to the story and its characters. I hope that it flows better now than it has in the past.

Enjoy!

""""""""""

Serenity tiredly sat on the nearest available couch in the room. It had been a little over a week since she accepted the training with Harry. Within that week, they had relentlessly trained to the point where all their mental and physical capacities were protesting. Whoever said that there were only 24 hours in a day surely hadn't had the _honor_ of being instructed by the Sage. The two of them found out not long after the beginning of their training how Professor Elminster was capable of prolonging his class time. The answer was simple – he used _magic_.

_Time Stop_, he called it. The spell was a modified version from what would normally be cast with that brand of magic. The spell may be useful, but it drained them considerably of magic when they attempted to use it themselves. Serenity could have gone further with the assistance of her Silver Crystal, but she didn't want to be even more exhausted than she already was. So the two left the spell alone, knowing that they would need more experience in Professor Elminster's magical field before they could attempt anything more complex.

As a result, the two focused their attention on the training regimen that Professor Elminster entrusted to them.

Reading became the key in his set of instructions.

A massive shelf of tomes and scrolls about magical theory and spell casting was left for them to comprehend; a formidable amount that Harry jokingly remarked would make Hermione salivate.

As time progressed, the duo quickly found that reading and memorization coupled with wandless spell casting was taxing on both the body and the mind. Thus, Serenity and Harry spent every free moment that they had in each other's company so that they may practice.

"Serenity, I won't be able to make it tonight," Harry informed her Thursday morning.

Serenity looked up from her plate, and gave Harry a nod of understanding. Looking around, she noted that Hermione was busy reading over her paper for Runes, and noticed that Ron was two seats down, gulping down a plate full of eggs and bacon.

"Tomorrow then?"

"Definitely," Harry nodded in assent, "I think we almost have that spell down."

His emerald eyes were twinkling with excitement, and she wholeheartedly agreed. Professor Elminster had confided in them that the spell would take a great deal of work and commitment. Moreover, he had time and again warned them about the dangerous aspects of the spell and what it would constitute of. However, the two of them believed that if they worked on it hard enough, it would be crucial to the war-effort – the benefits simply outweighed everything else.

"I'll work on it some more, and tell you my progress – Quidditch, right?"

"Yeah, Ron is really..." Harry waved his hand, not wanting to say anything bad about his best friend.

"Uptight," Neville pitched in, dropping his bag on the floor before sitting beside Serenity.

"And how would you know?" Serenity lightly chuckled, eyes twinkling.

"I may not be on the team, but I do watch them practice," Neville turned his nose upward, crinkling it in the process.

"Hmm, not spending enough time with Luna, are you?"

Neville formed a light blush, his mouth gaping open before shutting it close.

"I'll have you know that Luna is quite busy these days," Neville finally said, swallowing a bit of his food, "She's been working on a piece for her father."

Serenity smiled in reply, her eyes trailing over to the Ravenclaws and noticed Luna idly eating a piece of toast, whilst writing on a scroll with her quill. Sure enough, Luna appeared quite busy.

"-renity...Serenity." Neville's voice startled her, and she sharply turned to the concerned Gryffindor, "You've been spacing out."

"Sorry about that, Neville."

"That's alright. You and Harry have been...working hard, right?"

"Yeah..." She turned her head to regard Harry, but was surprised to see that he was no longer there.

"He left a minute ago. He tried to grab your attention, but..." Neville shrugged helplessly.

"It's fine."

Getting up, she picked up her bag full of books and walked away with Neville to head for their Transfiguration class. Looking around, she mentally held in her disappointment at the fact that Ron and Hermione had left without them.

"They left separately," Neville casually informed her, "Hermione first, then Harry, and finally Ron. Ron left with Dean and Seamus..."

"Oh," Serenity clasped her hands around Neville's arm, "I'll just have to make sure that the same thing doesn't happen to you."

Neville smiled in amusement, happy to know that his company was appreciated even after everything that happened.

"Same here."

""""""""""

Brown eyes pitifully observed the day's events. With a resigned look on his face, Neville Longbottom turned away and focused on finishing his breakfast.

For the past two weeks, he had been watching Serenity and Draco's relationship, or the lack thereof. In the beginning of the promising relationship, he had been wary – a Gryffindor and a Slytherin was not common. His concerns relied on how much he could trust the Slytherin Prince with the Gryffindor maiden's heart. However, it would seem that he had been mistaken.

Instead of worrying about the former, he found himself worrying for the latter – Draco Malfoy.

Surprising yes, but it was the truth. He saw how Serenity would find herself in the company of Harry Potter on most days, and hadn't given her own boyfriend the time of day.

Though Malfoy appeared to have no care for Serenity's pastime, Neville knew better. He knew that the Slytherin Prince was affected by Serenity's actions. It showed in his behavior. Whenever Malfoy saw Harry and Serenity in the same room together, his mask would slightly fall away as his face would tighten more around the jaw. And if he noticed the two in the Great Hall, he would leave within a fifteen minute timeframe. He simply could not stand the sight of their unintentional affair being displayed in front of his face.

Though Malfoy never said anything and never voiced his protest at being left behind – Neville acknowledged it, and came to pity the boy.

After all, he knew what it was like to be left out of the loop, and feel as if he didn't belong.

That was exactly why he would now do something about it – about them.

""""""""""""

Serenity sighed in relief after the last lesson ended, though her mind remained muddled from exertion.

As she walked away from the classroom, swinging her book bag along the way, Serenity continued to think about the strange event that transpired during lessons. For one, she felt eyes boring at the back of her head from all corners of the classroom. Another was the unease she felt throughout the lesson – as if she was forgetting something important.

But what?

Deciding not to dwell in the matter, she began to head toward the library as soon as possible. However, as she neared the last hallway, she stopped when she overheard two voices close by. Looking around, she saw no shadows and no figures – yet, she heard something.

(Ghosts!) She stilled, her eyes opening wide. She had gotten used to the main ghosts of Hogwarts. As for those she was not familiar with, she tended to avoid their local haunts. She was positive that this section of the castle wasn't a spot...

Swallowing her fear, she tentatively stepped closer and sighed in relief when she could make out a faint outline of a shadow near the corner.

"...aise," a voice gasped out, followed by a rustle of robes, "W-Wait..."

A shuffle of feet on the cobblestone and a sound of a restless sigh.

"I thought I heard something," the same voice said, and Serenity widened her eyes when she finally recognized the sound.

"Hermione, not many students go down this route."

"May I remind you that we're here?" Hermione's voice upped a notch.

"Point taken," the other said, "Did you want to stop?"

Another rustle of robes, and Serenity felt horribly uncomfortable as she remained where she was. She should have left, but the curiosity got the better of her.

(A male... with Hermione? It doesn't sound like Ron...)

After what felt like an eternity, she heard the sound of receding footsteps. Deciding it was safe; she crept closer and turned around the corridor only to discover that the couple hadn't exactly left.

"H-Hermione!" Serenity gasped aloud, a blush on her cheeks.

"Serenity," Hermione said in reply, as calmly as she could manage.

Looking at Hermione, Serenity noticed how well her friend managed to hide any form of evidence that came after a snogging session. Her clothes were neatly pressed, her hair in its same shaggy state, and her cheeks – well, it couldn't be helped that the Gryffindor was blushing. Taking this for what it's worth, Serenity took a deep breath before leveling a glare at her friend.

"I overheard something I shouldn't have, Hermione."

"I knew I wasn't hearing things," Hermione said mostly to herself in reply.

"It wasn't Ron."

Hermione remained silent and Serenity stood there, waiting for a reply or anything in response to her words. But after a few minutes of standing there, not receiving a denial or any other form of answer – Serenity couldn't keep up her silence, and sighed in distress.

"Why Hermione? Ron's been loyal to you, hasn't he?"

Hermione looked away, and stared at the section where the person had headed off after meeting her, a glazed look on her face.

"He makes me forget when I'm with him."

Serenity's eyes widened in realization, and she felt her heart break. She had a feeling that Hermione still hadn't gotten over her parent's death, or over Mrs. Weasley's and Percy's death. But she hadn't believed that Hermione would go so far as _this_ to forget about her problems, about her own inner struggles to cope and accept their deaths.

"Hermione," Serenity swallowed, not exactly sure how to broach the subject, "Do you...?"

"Whenever I see Ron, he makes me remember. I can't even look at him – if I do, I start thinking about the past," Hermione wasn't even trying to look at her anymore and Serenity noticed how tense the other Gryffindor was. Her shoulders were shaking, and her hands were clenching as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

"I _know_ that Ron and Harry are not at fault for what happened. Harry tried his best, the Order – everyone. But the reality of it all, it's too much to bear." Hermione choked out, "We're just _teenagers_. We're not heroes; we're not supposed to be in this war!"

Serenity approached her, and grabbed Hermione into a tight embrace as she tried to soothe her emotions. Apparently, even the most knowledgeable of people could have emotional breakdowns of this magnitude.

"Blaise has been there for me since the beginning of the year. At first, it was nothing – he'd just pressure me to get some sleep when I overworked myself. And then... it escalated to the point where we'd have meeting places throughout the day."

(Blaise! Draco's friend...)

"Is it serious? Between you and..."

Hermione stifled a laugh as she shook her head, "Merlin, no! I could never... as wonderful as he is, I know that Blaise could never settle down with one girl – let alone me. He just..."

"Oh, Hermione..." Serenity closed her eyes, "Does he even know?"

Whether she was referring to Blaise or Ron, she didn't know.

"...Blaise could never see me in that light."

"And Ron...? Do you even love him?"

"...I don't know."

Serenity bit her bottom lip and remained silent as she kept her hold over the Gryffindor. She didn't want to know if Hermione's answer was toward her first question or second. All she hoped for in that span of time was to console the girl in her arms, knowing that out of the Gryffindor Trio – Hermione was the most emotional, and the easiest to break. In her heart, she prayed that Hermione would figure out where to go from here.

Would she return to Ron? Or would she continue with this charade?

Or would Hermione's world come crashing down?

(Selene, please look after her!)

""""""""""""

Everything was crazy – she knew. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were different from when she first met them.

Granted, back then they were not as close, but the three _are_ different. They were hesitant and cold towards one another. Okay, more like Hermione and Ron were cold to each other and to Harry, while Harry did his best to make things better again. Except, his idea of "making things better" was by leaving his two friends alone, whilst trying to appear approachable. "_Trying_" being the key word.

It was insane, seeing the Golden Trio like this. But Serenity did her best to brave it all. In the process, she ended up devoting most of her time with Harry – training, studying, and just providing him with her presence.

However she now discovered something else – Hermione. Hermione was hurting, and she didn't know what to do.

What could she do? Should she divide her time between Harry and Hermione... or leave the Head Girl be? It was frustrating not knowing the answer.

(Venus would know, wouldn't she? She's supposed to be the Goddess of Love, after all...) Serenity mused as she reveled in past memories.

Whilst she continued with her line of thinking, she felt another's presence and opened her eyes to see Neville hesitantly standing before her.

"Neville..." she greeted as she relaxed against the cool, hard stone of the school's walls.

Neville bit the bottom of his lip. It was always easier to say things in his mind, but when it came to actually _doing_ it... that was something else altogether.

"What's wrong?" Serenity asked, noticing how fidgety the Gryffindor was.

"Shouldn't it be the other way?" Neville blurted out before he could stop himself, and slapped a hand over his mouth – he... didn't mean to say it like that.

He flushed in embarrassment while Serenity blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Serenity enunciated, eyes questioning and body tense – she was wondering if Neville knew about Hermione and... Blaise.

"These past few weeks, Serenity..." Neville sighed, and slumped to the ground, "You, Hermione, Harry, Ron... and..."

"And...?" Serenity pressed.

"Draco – or have you forgotten?" Neville said, a bit exasperated that Serenity had not even thought about him.

"Draco..." Serenity slowly said the name, before it registered in her mind.

"Draco..." she repeated, regret and sorrow quickly filling her up to nearly overflow her senses.

"Yes, Draco," Neville echoed, and saw Serenity's posture tensing up even more than it had before, "For weeks you've been ignoring him... and for weeks I've been watching him act as if nothing is wrong. But I can see that ... you're hurting him, Serenity."

"I... didn't mean to..."

"Unintentional or not, you still have. As surprising as it is, he hasn't said anything about it. I even overheard him one time, telling the other Slytherins not to give you a hard time about it."

This was news to her, and she looked at Neville and saw that he was telling the truth. Draco for all that she had done to him, still defended her.

She felt even worse now.

"I...I don't know what to say. How could he... even after, _Selene_, I did this again." Serenity mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to fall.

"If it was me, I wouldn't forgive you. But I'm not him, and any idiot can see how much Malfoy loves you," Neville bluntly stated, and inwardly cringed at how harsh he was towards his friend.

But he couldn't back down, not after the amount of courage it took him to confront Serenity about this.

"I know," Serenity sighed, "I need to make it up – somehow. He's been there for me. And yet, after one offer from the Professor... I drop him and spend more time with Harry for convenience's sake."

"How am I going to fix this mess?" Serenity bumped the back of her head against the stone walls, but stopped when Neville reached out to stop her.

All that Neville could do was slump beside her and shrug in response. Although Neville pitied Draco, it didn't stop him from caring for his friend.

At the sight of Serenity's distraught face, he felt that she deserved some sympathy – even just a smidgen.

""""""""""""""

Professor Elminster hummed a random tune under his breath as he went about his office, waving at a pile of papers here, a few tomes over there, and then stopped when his blue eyes alighted on a nameless scroll.

Peering at it, he unfurled the parchment and read its contents. With a grave face, he nodded to himself before magically rolling it back up and making it vanish without even a wave of a hand.

In his mind, the contents still echoed in his mind.

_Soon._

He knew what it meant, and knew the implications. Soon there would be war to be had, lives to be lost, and students to prepare.

What stood out aside from his duties was the fact that _he_ would be returning home when that time came.

When that day arrives, he would not be here to help with the war effort – because it was _Mystra's_ will.

"They'll be fine..." _... because I believe in them._

"""""""""""""

Serenity was beside herself. The Hermione, Ron, and Harry problem. The war. The training.

But Draco... Draco stood out even more after her 'conversation' with Neville.

To think, she forgot someone so precious to her. Hadn't she done so before? Now here she was, doing it again.

With a frustrated sigh, Serenity got up from her seat in the library, ignoring the concerned looks flashing her way from nearby neighbors, and Harry in particular.

"Serenity?"

She shook her head apologetically, and began packing her belongings into her book bag.

"I'm sorry Harry, I need to fix something," Serenity whispered, and shouldered her bag before leaving the library altogether.

Behind her, Harry released a sigh and watched her go before returning to his work.

(About time...) Harry mused to himself, feeling a small clench around his heart.

He knew that Serenity had been spending far too much time with him. He was not blind to this fact, and noticed how much Malfoy tried to pretend that everything was fine. He saw the looks the Slytherin gave them when they were in the same room, the hurt and jealousy. And as much as Harry would love Serenity to spend every waking moment together with him, he had already known that her heart belonged to Malfoy.

He could pretend that that they were together again. But it couldn't last forever, not unless Serenity returned his feelings. In truth, she didn't – he knew that from that moment in their Sixth year.

Releasing another sigh, Harry laid his head on the table. He hoped that Serenity would be alright after her encounter with Malfoy.

If not, he would simply wait for her – right here, as always.

""""""""""""

Serenity paced back and forth, muttering feeble apologies and excuses that she felt would help her in her encounter with the Slytherin. However, with each excuse and apology that left her lips, she felt ten times worse.

(Nothing I can say or do would be good enough.) Serenity slumped against the cold stone wall.

"If you sit down here, you will catch a chill, little cub," Draco drawled as his languid form hovered over hers.

Looking up, she saw a small frown marring his usually impassive face. For the first time in a long while, she really _looked_ at Draco Malfoy – and what she saw ate away at her as guilt kicked in.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Serenity gave a strained smile as she got up from her seat on the ground.

He nodded in reply, a grim expression now taking over but he fought against it until a blank mask took its place. Serenity already saw it.

"I don't really have the right to say anything – I already told myself that nothing I do or say would be good enough, and it's true." Serenity uttered.

She couldn't say how awful the Slytherin looked. Draco was paler than normal, his stance rigid, and bags were beginning to form under his eyes.

(This couldn't be all my doing, could it?)

"You've been ignoring me for Potter," Draco coldly stated, and Serenity bit the bottom of her lip in the process.

"Your whole life has been revolving around the Golden Boy for the past few weeks," Draco continued, his voice low and cool, almost mechanical in her ears.

"It's because..." Serenity started, but quieted when Draco continued.

"You two have been taking private Defense classes with Flamel – I know that much. The both of you have been seen spending a lot of time together..."

She bowed her head, ashamed. To anyone else, it would appear that she had been blatantly cheating on her boyfriend with someone else. But she knew Draco couldn't have come with that conclusion, or had he?

"Tell me Serenity," Draco's eyes hardened, "Why did you choose me over Potter?"

"I've seen how you to act with one another, and..."

Serenity shook her head vigorously and moved forward, not caring that she should be cautious around the Slytherin. She had to do something, anything to stop those words from flowing from his mouth.

And so, Serenity thrust herself forward and desperately fisted her fingers into Draco's robes, burying her head into his warmth.

"I chose you, because I _love_ you - not Harry."

Serenity fixed herself more tightly around Draco, afraid that he might pull away from her. She didn't know why, but when he began to act so coldly toward her, when his gray eyes hardened, and when he saw his impassive face she grew fearful that Draco would want to end their relationship.

A large part of her didn't want that to happen – even though Draco had every right to do so.

After all, was she not the one who neglected him for someone else? For the Boy-Who-Lived, for the one she recently rejected?

"I know I've been horrible to you; I know that I haven't been seeing you as I should have, but...I didn't mean to."

Draco still didn't respond, and Serenity audibly sighed in frustration.

"Merlin that sounded bad."

Serenity pulled away, and Draco let her – his expression still set in cold stone.

"You're right – you didn't mean to," Draco said, his tone still indifferent and his posture stiff.

She looked up at him, confusion and apprehension apparent on her face.

"But even if you claim to love me, your actions claim otherwise."

Serenity froze, and she felt her heart clench. It is true; she claims to love him and for a time she had – the small affair they shared in Sixth year, and again toward the end of Sixth Year to the beginning of their Seventh Year. However, she dropped him, and forgot about him.

But couldn't she argue that she had been busy? That the war effort is more important…?

She mentally shook her head in a negative. No, those were inexcusable to her ears. She had made things work with Mamoru in her past life, in _both_ of her past lives. And yet, she couldn't do a thing in this present time.

"I won't leave you, if that's what you're thinking," Draco interrupted her musing.

"I promised, didn't I?" Draco sighed, letting a bit of his mask slide off as he walked close to her, "I'll always be here, waiting for you."

Serenity felt tears prick up at the corner of her eyes – she couldn't understand why he would still stand beside her.

"But I want you to reconsider your feelings for me," Draco stared hard at Serenity, and tilted her chin up to meet his gray eyes.

"I want you to think about _us_."

He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a sweet, sensual kiss. It was bliss, it was everything she could want – peace, safety, and comfort. And when it ended, she was left in a daze with only his parting words.

"I love you."

(Not once has he said those words… just like with Harry.)

"""""""""""""""

Serenity stumbled back to Gryffindor Tower that Tuesday night, ignoring the looks of concern that flashed pass everyone's faces as she headed straight for her dorm room and collapsed onto bed.

That November night Serenity finally allowed everything fall away – she released her pent up emotions and cried. She cried for the Weasley family, for the Grangers, and she cried for Draco and his family. She cried for the broken relationships, the failing relationships, and the ones that should have been and could have been.

Outside her door, and down in Gryffindor Tower people would be wondering and whispering about what happened. A few tried to catch her attention and bring her comfort, but were ignored. Unfortunately, the only ones that could have brought even the smallest comfort were not there to witness the event – each one musing about their own problems, their own insecurities, and their own fears.

""""""""""""""

By Wednesday morning, a tense and foreboding feeling enveloped the Great Hall when everyone gathered for breakfast. All was quiet aside from the occasional murmur and small talk in an attempt to release the tension.

"Serenity?" Neville whispered, unease settling in his abdomen when he sat next to her, "Are you alright?"

Serenity blinked in surprise, not expecting anyone to speak with her.

"You were right, Nev," Serenity whispered before returning to her breakfast.

Before Neville could respond, a flurry of crows and ravens fluttered through the windows, blending in with the Owls. Eyes opened wide – surprise, fear, apprehension, curiosity, and pride apparent on everyone's faces.

The reason for the varying degree of expressions was because of the envelopes that each crow and raven carried with them.

A large amount settled itself on the Slytherin table, a lesser amount on Ravenclaws, a smaller batch amongst Hufflepuffs, and a scattered few on the Gryffindor table.

One made itself known right in front of Serenity.

A large black crow settled itself in front of her, a black envelope sealed with the emblem of the Dark Mark on it.

Invitations into the Death Eater fold have arrived at Hogwarts.

"""""""""""""""

Serenity glared at the unopened black envelope sitting on the Gryffindor table. She had whipped out her wand as fast as she could, and had cast several hexes and curses at the offending object. However, not one of them worked, and it only served to infuriate her even more.

Others around her watched, and some had even had the audacity to come up to her section. Those close to her remained silent, aside from a select few.

"Shouldn't you open it?" Colin piped up wanting to know what was inside.

"Are you daft? That's obviously from You-Know-Who!" Ron shouted in outrage, startling quite a few of his peers.

"That's why I've been trying to get rid of _this_," Serenity waved her wand, muttering another incantation only to be met with the same result, or lack thereof.

"You could always bring it to Dumbledore," Hermione suggested, putting her tome down.

Serenity shook her head, and waved her hand absentmindedly away from her and toward the other houses.

"He's preoccupied by the others who received the same letter."

"We could try joining our powers together," Harry leaned over and whispered.

Serenity shook her head; it wouldn't do to waste their efforts on an envelope.

"It's no use; I'll just wait until the Headmaster comes up with a solution."

She turned her attention away from the black envelope and looked across the Great Hall towards the Slytherin table.

Draco was calmly sitting beside his peers, the black envelope firmly clasped in his left hand as he spoke to his Head of House and then to the Headmaster, a dour look on his face. Every few moments he would turn his attention towards Blaise and Pansy, conversing shortly before returning to his Professors.

"The Slytherin House looks unhappy about their invitations," Ginny pointed out.

"Not all of them," Seamus disagreed.

"_Most_ of them, then," Dean rolled his eyes at his best friend's antics.

Before long, Draco nodded solemnly before putting the black envelope inside his robes and then turned away from the Great Hall. Behind him, the other Slytherins followed suite and strode out – surprising most of Hogwarts' population.

"Did you just see that?" Neville spoke up.

"It doesn't mean anything," Serenity diffused any outrageous thoughts that the others may be having, "If any of you would care to remember – the Headmaster was right there with them."

The others saw the point – Dumbledore couldn't possibly be suggesting for the Slytherins to take Voldemort's offer. It was preposterous.

"But Serenity…" Harry ruffled his hair and looked at her, remorse in his eyes, "The Headmaster…he did do something that…"

Neville, Ron, and Ginny immediately noticed where Harry was going with this and all looked at each other, wondering if they should interfere.

It was Neville who decided to put a stop to it.

"Not here, Harry," Neville pressed, putting a hand firmly on Harry shoulder.

"Serenity, please understand that the Headmaster – no matter how _incredible_ he may appear – has his own flaws as well." Ginny stressed, and then glared at Harry for his tactless approach.

It was at that point that Hermione and the others knew that something was up – something that even she knew nothing about. However, instead of demanding to know right away, she chose to keep her silence. She had no place to demand anything from them, not when she had been trying to distance herself away from her friends.

Meanwhile, Serenity slowly caught on to what the others were saying and paled. She remembered the time she spent with _Him_ and inwardly shuddered. She knew what they meant now, and stifled a muffled scream of horror. She knew then that the _Headmaster_ _allowed_ it to happen.

Serenity didn't want to believe it, but she knew it to be the truth. She knew that she was nothing more than a _piece_, an _object_ for the Headmaster to use and manipulate – to throw away when he found no more need for her.

Yes, he _meant_ well. But if push comes to shove, the old man would do what it takes to ensure that those that truly mattered to him were protected. That Harry Potter was alive and well.

Serenity stared at the raven haired Gryffindor and felt a tug at her heart. She knew it as well – that if push came to shove, she would do what it took to help him.

Even so far as to die for him, because he is the Chosen One – the one destined to rid the Wizarding World of Voldemort.

And most importantly, she was sent here to rid the universe of Chaos.

Bowing her head, she summoned up enough courage from the Silver Crystal's warmth emanating from her oakwood wand. Once reassured, she fixed a faux smile on her face and turned to her friends.

"I know that everyone has their flaws, Ginny." Serenity turned away from them, "Thank you for reminding me of that."

Without a backwards' glance, Serenity strode out of the Great Hall, ignoring the black envelope that she left behind.

The only thought she had in mind now was the absolute fact that in this world, she would never get anywhere without making those first steps. She knew, without a doubt, that everyone had their own secrets and flaws. She accepted that.

She only hoped that she could amend for her own mistakes.

To be continued…

""""""""""""""""

If anyone is wondering about that scene between Draco and Serenity – then allow me explain. Draco is not leaving Serenity; he won't be the one to break up with her, because he loves her. He wants Serenity to be sure of her feelings, and doesn't want her to feel compelled to stay with him. A bit OOC but please bear with it. I figured that as Draco would be the type to be duty-bound and would not willingly leave a relationship unless the other person really wants to break it off.


	27. Chapter 27

Title: Needed

Chapter 27

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

A bit more sap and angst filled with the beginning of the battle.

"""""""""""""

Draco stared at the black envelope, reading its contents in front of the fireplace. Similarly, his peers were doing the same – reading and memorizing the contents before they fold it back up and watch as it catch fire on its own, disappearing without a trace.

He knew that they all received similar messages – to meet outside the wards of Hogwarts when they receive the signal.

Draco had confided in his godfather and Head of House about the induction into the Dark Lord's ranks. Then he relayed the same message to the Headmaster.

His peers were dubious of his actions, but Draco could not be bothered to think of the future consequences for this. He had to act quickly if he wanted to avoid the Dark Lord. The others may wish to go through with the initiation, but he would not travel down that same path.

He made his choice – the others will now have to make theirs.

"And what will your choices be on this matter?"

Draco placed his carefully constructed mask on his face, staring at each sixth year and up with a cool, detached expression that the Malfoy family were known for. With each gaze, he had already penetrated into their own constructed shield and found where their loyalties lied.

One by one the sides were slowly filtered in the Slytherin House. In the end, Draco gained a little over half of the sixth and seventh years. He didn't mind. His friends had all decided to remain by his side.

"What will we do with the ones who refuse to side with us?" Tracey Davis asked from behind him.

"Let us deal with the matter," Professor Snape waved the Death Eater supporters to follow him to the other end of the Common Room, each one dutifully following his instructions.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy for doing this," Dumbledore genially said, blue eyes grave yet warm as they stared at him and his group.

"I didn't do this for you, Headmaster," Draco said in return, focusing on the other end of the room.

On the other side, Professor Snape had the batch line up in a file before bringing his wand out. He would be casting _Obliviate_ on the group, to prevent the Dark Lord from finding out about those who refused to side with him.

"It is times like this that I'm glad that the affairs within the Slytherin House – remain in the Slytherin House," Pansy softly said, hands lifted up as if in a prayer.

For the rest of the day not one of the Slytherins showed up for class, and neither did Professor Snape or Headmaster Dumbledore.

""""""""""""""""""""

"The final preparations are complete, my Lord."

The Dark Lord didn't glance up from his position nor give any acknowledgement that he heard his servant. Instead, he continued with his own set of tasks for the war.

A little less than a year ago, he had the only tool he would need to finally bend the world to his will. However, because of carelessness and egoism he had lost _it_. He had even lost the leech that he had summoned to aide him.

But now, he would not make such a foolish mistake again. He would be prepared, and this time he would not fail.

Red eyes gleamed in the darkness, a cold smirk on his lips as he signed off on a parchment that would bring him one step closer to his goals.

"""""""""""""""""""""

Rumors circulated between the Houses – ranging from dark malicious tortures between both sides of the war. A battle of sorts behind the Slytherin House over who would become the next right hand man of Voldemort – Malfoy, despite having changed sides, was proclaimed the winner. And an even more outrageous story – that the real residents of the Slytherin House have all been killed by convincing Dopplegangers. The last bit caused a huge uproar from all their peers – having remembered the occurrence with the golems not too long ago.

Nevertheless, the rumor mill soon died down within a few short weeks until it was nothing more than a faded, dull story of years long past.

"Draco," Serenity happily called out, having caught up to the wandering Slytherin.

Since Neville's involvement in her failing relationship, and her nervous confrontation with Draco in the first week of November, Serenity had begun to actively pursue and spend as much time as she can with her boyfriend.

Guilt and self loathing ate away at her heart. As such, she tried to find a way to fix it.

Thus, the need to be around the Slytherin any chance she could get.

"Serenity," Draco had quickly deducted the reasoning for her strange behavior after the first week, and had smoothly transitioned his lifestyle to suite her. It was amusing, and the attention was something he had dearly craved after being ignored for so many weeks.

However, he also knew that this kind of relationship could not last. Their current relationship was fragile – love was not an issue between them, but security was. He was unsure if love was enough to keep them together. She was unsure of his love for her – despite his reassurances.

It was why he tried to accommodate her with his presence daily.

"I missed you," Serenity whispered as she wound her arms around his torso, feeling the warmth and assurance of his presence.

He didn't respond, save for their embrace, as he laid his chin atop her head.

"I think we need to talk."

"Draco?"

Fear and apprehension showed in her eyes, but Draco ignored it in favor of taking her hand in his, leading her to an empty but secure classroom. Closing the door, he threw a few locking and silencing charms, ensuring that no one would be eavesdropping or barging in during their conversation.

As the last spell was cast, he turned his body around, and faced Serenity's slightly fearful, desperate gaze.

"It's been three weeks," Draco allowed his mask to fade, and showed a more vulnerable side to Serenity, "As much as I enjoyed the attention, Serenity…"

"Please don't say that you're going to leave me, Draco."

Draco blinked in surprise, not expecting Serenity to throw herself forward like the last time they held a serious conversation.

"Of course I'm not," Draco gently pried her away from him.

"Then why are you speaking like this?"

"Not all serious conversations between us have to lead to life altering decisions, Serenity," Draco chuckled, tracing and smoothing out the frown that lined her face.

"Then what is this about?"

"Exactly _this_."

"I don't understand."

Draco carefully tried to find a more tactful way of saying what he wanted to voice aloud.

"Relationships are difficult, I understand that much," Draco began.

He stared at her, making sure that she was paying attention. He was not disappointed, as she kept silent but her gaze steady as they focused on him and him alone.

Reassured, he continued.

"As I have explained in the past, my family is not picture perfect. There were not many role models to base workable, loving relationships on. The only ones I can think of would be what I have observed from afar, or novels. The former more than the latter, I would have to say…

"But I would think that I have played my part in this relationship remarkably well. I have been a dutiful boyfriend – loyal, caring, and a gentleman during our trysts together. At least, since we had _officially_ become a couple…"

Here, he gave an almost apologetic smirk toward Serenity, who kept her attention fixed on him. She nodded in assurance, but remained silent.

"I can't promise you a lot of things, Serenity," here Draco paused, unsure how to continue and opted to sit down on a desk.

"I know I already told you this several months ago when we first started out. But I think you need to hear it again."

Serenity looked at him inquisitively, trying to recall what he was referring to. When she did, a sense of nostalgia mixed with guilt encompassed her. It was the day he finally summoned up the courage to confront her, comfort her, and promise her of his loyalty.

"I won't always be there for you. I tend to run or hide from problems. I tell and fabricate lies when it suits me. More often than not, I use whatever means I have to get what I want – not caring if it hurts others in the process."

He paused again, but this time chose not to meet Serenity's gaze.

"I'm selfish and spoiled. But when I find something, or _someone_, that I dearly care for, I would continue to love that person with all that I have.

I would hope that person would be you, Serenity."

A sharp exhale and this time Draco looked her way. She was much closer than he expected, and her arms were shaking, her eyes filled to the rim with unshed tears.

"I can't promise you a lot of things either, Draco. Nor can I tell you everything that occurs in my life."

She looked up at him, a weak apologetic smile on her face. He bent down and kissed her forehead, signaling for her to continue.

"I won't expect you to always be there. Although we possess magic and can do amazing things with it, I know full well that I can't just summon you out of thin air.

"Just as I know that it'll take a lot of effort on both sides to make this work."

"I'm glad," Draco intervened, and brushed a stray hair away from her face.

"Is that why you sealed us in here – for me to realize all of this?" Serenity laid her head on his shoulder, emotionally exhausted.

"I couldn't very well just magic it to happen," Draco chuckled, wrapping a loose arm around her.

"…." Serenity dumbly nodded, closing her eyes.

"Serenity…"

"Hmm?"

"Would love _really_ be enough?"

Serenity grew quiet, thinking back to her past. Before, she always believed that love could conquer everything – even the test of time. She knew that it was partially true. She loved Endymion while on the Moon. And although they died, they were reborn and found each other again. Time after time, they were broken apart only to be brought back together again.

In the end, they didn't find each other. Instead, she found Draco Malfoy. It was unnerving to think about…

"Love is amazing, Draco," Serenity grabbed a hold of his hand, and held the palm of his hand – it was cold, but comforting, "It can save and heal the darkest of hearts. It can even last throughout centuries. But would it be _enough_?"

At this, she pulled away and looked at him, studying his unwavering gray eyes. It was amazing how Draco Malfoy could put a mask on his face whenever he wished. She had yet to decipher what he was thinking behind that gaze of his.

"It's as you say – relationships are difficult."

At this, she went back to her previous position and fell silent.

"You didn't answer my question," Draco had a hint of impatience and amusement rolled into one.

"I gave you your answer," Serenity tipped her head back, amused blue eyes gazing at him, a quirk on her lips.

"Relationships are difficult," Draco drawled out.

"Exactly," Serenity bent his head down, and gave a short, sweet kiss, "It would depend on how much we love each other, don't you think?"

"How does that work?"

"If we love each other enough – I imagine that we would try our best to make sure the other doesn't suffer. We would work on nurturing our relationship to become the best that it can be."

Draco threw an amused smirk at her before pulling her down for a heated kiss. This time, placing all of the pent up emotions he held in for the past year – it was long, thorough and filled with love and lust.

By the time they separated, Draco knew without a shadow of a doubt that their love would make it through whatever future obstacles they would face. As he had told her earlier – Serenity was the only one he ever really cared for. He truly loved her, and will continue to do so for the rest of his life.

If what Serenity said was true, then their relationship would surely last. And he knew that Serenity finally found the assurance she _needed_ to trust in his love for her.

"Thank you."

"""""""""""""""""

Neville and Serenity were dutifully studying in the library. They had grown remarkably closer since Neville's brave confrontation towards her, added to the split the Golden Trio had undergone over the summer. Serenity could have opted to spend more time with Harry, but since the Death Eater invitations, he had spent more time visiting the Headmaster in private.

She still spent time with Harry doing spell research and practicing in private, but it had gone down considerably less compared to before. Serenity considered herself lucky that this happenstance occurred _after_ they felt it necessary that they could function by themselves. The research they invested in had gone progressively well.

All they had left was to practice wandless spell casting, and train their body to bear the brunt of the aftermath after that spell would be cast.

"You're spacing out again, Moon," Neville brought her back to the present, amused brown eyes staring at her.

"Sorry, Nev," Serenity shook away her thoughts, and looked back at her parchment. She sighed in agony, seeing that she had only written a paragraph whereas Neville was almost finished.

Rolling his eyes, Neville pushed a heavy tome over to her side, "I don't know what you would do without me. Here, I already marked the pages for you. Now hurry up and do it."

"Thanks Neville."

"Ah is that the assignment for Professor Sprout? I've been having trouble in finishing up the last four inches!" Ron cried out, plopping on the open seat beside them.

Ron had become a little more studious after the invitations were sent out. The reminder that the war was closing in on them had helped, but in terms of rectifying the distance he had formed with Hermione and Harry had not.

"Am I the only one that hasn't finished this assignment?!" Serenity cried aloud, earning a sharp glare from Madame Pince.

"No worries, Serenity, I only managed to get this far because Seamus and Dean helped me out," Ron winked at her.

"And you didn't tell me?!" Serenity continued, this time having Madame Pince shout out to her to 'Please be quiet!'

"You were with the ferret," Ron quipped, rolling his eyes in the process.

"He's not a ferret."

"He was for a time in fourth year," Ron snickered, earning a smack in the back of his head from Neville.

"One of these days you're going to show me that scene in a Pensieve," Serenity frowned before ending the conversation when she picked up her quill and began to dutifully finish her assignments.

"""""""""""""""""""

Hermione felt as if she had been caught red-handed in doing something unforgiveable. In all truth, she had been.

The affair she held with Blaise Zabini since nearly the beginning of the September had progressed in unreachable heights. She spent almost every waking moment with the Slytherin Headboy.

The only part that held the two back from proclaiming themselves 'official', was the entire fact that they had never voiced their feelings aloud - or if one even existed. In addition, Hermione was already in a relationship – a failing one, at that.

It was this very relationship that had now spun to an angry shade of black.

A certain Ron Weasley happened to have caught her in a compromising position with Blaise Zabini.

"R-Ron," Hermione stuttered, face flush, lips bruised, hair in a disarray, and robes half-falling from her shoulder, revealing tantalizing flesh.

Blaise fell back into his perfected Slytherin mask, not quite removing himself from the close proximity he shared with his Headgirl.

Ron stood, transfixed at the sight that greeted him. He was only heading to the Library, using a more remote path than he was used to. He had assumed that this would be a way of avoiding any of his peers, needing the time to think of new Quidditch strategies or ruminating on his relationship with his friends.

What he did not expect was to be greeted with this sight.

Even more, he did not expect to see _Hermione_ with _Blaise Zabini_: a _Slytherin_.

It hurt. It hurt that the one girl that he loved would do something like this. He wasn't affected that Hermione was snogging with Zabini. No; he almost expected it, in all truth. It had been months since they had engaged in such an activity. What hurt the most was that Hermione had found someone else, and had not told him about it.

It pained him that everyone may have known, and were laughing at him behind his back, or he was out of ear shot.

She could have at least told him that they were no longer together.

For some reason, he felt his heart clench at the thought. He had already accepted that their relationship was dead, and probably pass salvaging. It was why he had become so focused on his studies and Quidditch strategies.

It was why he distanced himself from his friends, Hermione most specifically. No matter how much he still loved her.

But he thought that Hermione may be happier this way. So why was he hurting now? She was happy with Zabini, wasn't she? She didn't _need_ him.

"I didn't think anyone would be here," Ron spoke, voice strained at the effort of trying to keep his emotions in check. Stiffly, he turned around and walked away.

He ignored the frantic pleading from his now-proclaimed ex-girlfriend. He ignored the sound of broken sobs, and he ignored the twinge of pain originating around his heart.

He ignored a lot of things for the rest of day – and delved his mind into thoughts that he found to be more pleasant: Quidditch.

Why bother risking your heart for someone, when it would only be broken in the end?

He didn't need Hermione to be happy.

"""""""""""""""

After being caught, Hermione felt as if she fell into a dark ditch, with no hope of coming back out. She had called out to Ron, wanting to try to find some way of salvaging her latest mistake. But he didn't stop nor turned around; he just ignored her cries and continued on his way.

When he was gone, she felt as if her legs had stopped supporting her, and crumbled onto the ground. Blaise had been there, trying to get her back up, but she didn't care. She just fell, numbed by everything that had been going oh-so-wrong in her life.

Of all the people she did not want to see hurt, Ron had been one of them. He may have been ignorant about relationships, but he knew that he would be loyal if he was to be in one. She did not want him to find out about her infidelity. She did not want to see the pain in his eyes.

She only wanted to forget about her own ache. But it seemed that while she had been in her own world, she forgot the repercussions of her actions.

She forgot about Ron.

"It'll be okay." Blaise whispered as he held her close, "Ron loves you."

"I hope so."

She wasn't sure if what Blaise told her would come true. She had not been sure of a lot of things lately, but the only thing she did know for certain was that Blaise was right there beside her.

Blaise Zabini may be a womanizer and a Slytherin, but when it came to those he cared for – he would stick beside them and give comfort when needed.

""""""""""""""""""""

Serenity slammed the heavy tome shut, heaving an aggravated sigh. She had been studying since early morning, and couldn't take the vain efforts she was trying to accomplish.

"We have been going through all of the Professor's books, and we have yet to figure out how to overcome _this_."

"So close, yet so far…" Harry mused dejectedly as he cast aside another scroll.

The two sat in silence for a moment or two, wondering how to approach their spell work. Yet no matter how much they thought about their situation, no answer clearly presented itself. So with another attempt, each reached for another book or scroll, to renew their efforts in their spell research.

"Are you two still working on the spell?" Professor Elminster opened the door to his office. He had freely given his two students permission to enter his office to do research, should they need it.

"Yes," Serenity said in reply, while Harry simply grunted in assent as he scanned his scroll with practiced ease after several weeks of painstaking research.

"Did you two not just tell me that the research portion was completed awhile ago, and all that was left was the spell work?" Elminster shut the door behind him; passing the desk the two worked on as he headed for his high back chair in the corner by the window. Wordlessly, he summoned his pipe, already lit and leisurely began to smoke away.

"We were mistaken," Serenity continued, already used to the smoke. Despite the stuffy smell that emanated from the pipe, it didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Strangely enough, the smoke that sprung from the item had its uses as she found out – it kept away small vermin that would originally crawl around the room.

"Hmm, and what exactly is it that you need to research?" Elminster leaned back, studying his two students with a strange gleam in his eyes.

"More about the spell, of course," Harry responded, pausing in his reading as he turned to regard his professor, "We found it difficult to keep the web in place. The initial casts are long and difficult, but we can never keep it stable."

"We even thought to use a stabling charm, but it would fade away as soon as the spell hits." Serenity added as an afterthought.

"And the spells you cast on the web?" Elminster lightly inquired.

"We thought to start off light – petrification and holding spells – things similar in nature."

"Then when that didn't work, we tried a mixed variety, wondering if similar spells don't work well with the spell web."

"However both did not work," Elminister surmised for the two, who nodded in reply.

"What did we do wrong? We tried to research it, but nothing in these scrolls or books hold an answer. We could barely even find references in the spell itself!" Harry tensely asked.

"It takes years to master, don't be put off by this," Elminster chuckled as he wordlessly summoned a large tome from thin air, "One of my masters has created such as spell in the past. Though he had never revealed to me how to begin one of such magnitude and power, I have found over the years that it takes incredible skill and devoted energy to weave such a spell web."

"Then if you know how to begin such a process, why won't you teach us?" Serenity said with a frown on her face.

"Ah, because finding it out yourself is half the fun," Elminster said cheerfully as he floated the large tome over to their table, "This book is very precious, and very rare."

The two read the title: _Boccob's Blessed Book_. It was heavy, about a thousand pages, and on the hardbound cover was an eye in a pentagram. It looked ancient.

"It contains a list of spells that I carry with me at all times - useful that. I lend this to you for reference." At the latter, he sent them a stern glare to which the two nodded in solemnity, "You may copy some of these spells and learn them to your heart's content. Perhaps in these pages, you will find the answer of how to weave a proper spell web."

Harry quickly opened the heavy book, flipping over its pages. Just as their mentor had said, the pages were precious – each page was filled to the brim with overly wrought and complicated spells and incantations.

Though most spells were intriguing, and piqued his interest, he fought the urge to study it. He wanted to go over all the spells first before…

"Serenity," Harry's eyes never wavering from the spell that caught his attention.

On the ancient and worn page were the words: _Necrotic Web_.

The duo immediately began listing out the detailed information that followed it. However, as they read more into the spell and its purpose, the two found that this particular spell was not the one they sought.

"It is a spell web, but it's not the one we're after…" Serenity shook her head as she read over their notes.

"Maybe we'll find more," Harry said as he continued to look through the pages.

Hours passed with the two tirelessly reading through the tome's pages up until their mentor all but threw them out of his office until the next day.

"I'll give you two a hint – since you obviously did not read the purpose of the web carefully enough," Professor Elminster shook his head despondently.

At his words, Harry and Serenity felt a mixture of shock, glee, and a heavy amount of irritation. The two had spent all those weeks and hours over research when their professor could have freely given them pertinent information about the spell web.

"I have already told the two of you that the spell web is dangerous and a long procedure. It takes an enormous amount of energy, focus, and sheer determination. It is not easy."

"Yes, we know," Serenity cut in, receiving a hard glare from Elminster.

"I have also told you that there are no short cuts."

The two nodded in unison.

"Good," Elminster had discovered over the weeks that he spent with the two that they were stubborn creatures. Though young, they adapted quickly to his lessons. Given time, he could have transformed the two fledglings into fine swans.

"There is a basis to any spells," Elminster began, "First you must choose who this spell is for – yourself, your allies, enemies, etc. The action this spell will take – a burst, a range - there are several ways the spell will manifest itself after being cast. You must also determine the effect the spell takes – will it be damaging or a healing effect? Once you select this spell and take it into consideration, you must also know whether you have the _ability_ to cast that spell. Question yourself whether you have the ability and the concentration to cast that spell. Is it a proper environment? Also, be aware not to cast the spell if you are unable to have that level of concentration. The higher the spell is, the more complex it becomes. Thus, it is necessary to have a higher level of concentration and _time_ to cast it."

Once his words settled in, the two could only numbly gaze at him. It was an overwhelming amount of information. They were aware of most of the information that their mentor had revealed, but some of them had been new. Or not that new, it just didn't become aware to them until now - such as time and the environment becoming important to spell casting.

"What about the spells we cast now – the ones we cast in this school? Muggleborns and those who have never witnessed or cast a spell beforehand are capable of casting unknown spells, are they not?" Harry quickly found a hole in his words.

Elminster smiled at the young wizard, "The spells I have given you are ones that are not known in your world."

Serenity stared in surprise at their Professor, she had honestly not stopped to think about that possibility. Since they had been under Professor Elminster's tutelage, she had not given thought of how different their training regime had been from their normal classes or those from Artemis'.

The books they delved into were not known in their school libraries, and neither one had thought to seek reference from outside sources. Their spell casting had also varied. They still used wands now and then, but the formation of their wandless spell casting had differed from what they were taught from their last Defense Professor.

It required more concentration and energy than they were used to. However, the effects of their new spells proved to be well worth the effort.

"It does make sense," Harry agreed to the man's explanation, "But it now makes me wonder… how many worlds there are apart from this one?"

"That is a worthy question, but one I cannot explain," Elminster chuckled, "All I can say is there is more than one world. I am proof of it."

Serenity's eyes grew wide at that, as did Harry's.

"How did you come to be here? What world did you come from…?" Serenity and Harry quickly grew excited, both beginning to speak quickly and incoherently with each passing sentence that left their lips.

"Those are questions better left for another time. For now, you have the information you need. Time is of the essence, and one that you cannot delay, no matter how many _Time Stops_ I cast. Therefore, I bid you two good night."

"""""""""""""""""

The information aided the two into forming a more comprehensive spell web. The book lent to them had provided a plethora of spells to cast on the web. The development of the core of the spell web was more problematic, but they found with each tentative step they took, they were closer into solving their way around their problem.

"We probably need more energy and concentration as the Professor has said," Harry watched as their next cast failed, the web had managed to hold only two spells before it unraveled before their eyes.

"I think so too. Either that or the _Petrification_ spell doesn't work well with the other spells we…" Serenity trailed off.

Harry looked at her oddly and was about to comment on it until Serenity gasped aloud before slapping her hand to her forehead.

"The spells we combined lately have been a mixture of both worlds!" Serenity exclaimed, "Their energy and casting levels differ from ours. Plus, they stem from different places. Perhaps, their spells do not compartmentalize well with differing worlds."

Harry grinned, appreciating Serenity's dawning realization – the thought hadn't even crossed his mind! If it proved to be correct, then there should no longer be a problem with the spell web.

"Let's try it!" Serenity spoke up, readying her hands into the appropriate position.

"Let's wait until later; we already attempted it today. We'll do it next week," Harry shook his head.

"Three days?" Serenity bargained and won quickly when Harry grinned after her before nodded in assent.

"Three days."

The next three days were filled with anxiety and wonderment. Serenity repeatedly thought the process over in her head, wanting to be absolutely sure that their next trial for the spell web would be successful.

So when the time finally arrived, Serenity all but ran to the meeting site with bated breath. Harry had apparently arrived alongside Professor Elminster.

"Shall we?" Serenity grinned at Harry who mirrored her nervousness.

The two stepped opposite of one another, approximately ten feet away. Wordlessly the two formed their hands to mirror one another. Slowly, methodically the spell began to form between them. The first to form were willowy strands of silver air bypassing between the two. As more strands appeared, they slowly danced around one another. The strands became more solidified, though remained translucent, forming a Y-shaped net. The process was long and drawn out, but it never stopped as the two continued their wordless spell casting. At times their eyes would briefly open to reveal a hint of a purple tinge surrounding their pupils or they would move a few steps away or back. As the net grew larger, so did the distance between the two. Until finally, the two spell casters stopped.

Between the two casters hovered evenly spaced, circular threads, forming a spiral orb web. With each radial was a different tinge of color and shade, indicating a different basis of spells being weaved into the net. At the very center was a mass of dark colors, streaming with unknown light.

"We did it…" Serenity breathed, beads of sweat running down her face and arms.

"It's not complete yet, but we managed, didn't we?" Harry fell on the floor, exhausted.

"You've been at it for two nights and a day. You are quite lucky that I had given you two a leave of absence. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick are quite unhappy," Elminster chimed in while critically looking at the spell web.

"Thank you for that," Serenity said, choosing to lean against the far wall.

"Why didn't you just cast _Time Stop_ around us like all our past practice sessions?" Harry asked.

"As I have mentioned in the past – it is simply because it may negate one another. _Time Stop_ is a spell, and almost any spell has a counter spell. There is always that chance that it could disassemble such a large spell, and one that you two would not want to risk."

"Ahh…" Serenity brushed away her matted hair and took the time before speaking again, "So how is it?"

"You two will need to work on solidifying the web with more fortification spells. There is an uneven balance between dark and light spells," Elminster listed out, tapping against the threads, "They're weak as well."

The two groaned in response.

"You must understand that the will be used against your Lord Voldemort," Elminster explained," Spells of this caliber will not be enough to defeat him."

"Even if they were combined in this fashion?" Harry thought of the forming of the web. It was exhausting and expended too much energy. The thought of redoing it almost made him want to weep.

"It can weaken him; I can guarantee you that. However, it will not defeat him. I suggest that you two try again next week in another location."

"What will we do about this web?" Serenity asked. The thought of taking down their first spell web was saddening – they had placed so much time and energy into it.

"We will store it here after it has been secured. This web is powerful in its own right. It may prove useful later on," Elminster ushered his two students out of the room before performing a spell around the door and its surrounding walls.

"I am proud of the progress you have made tonight," Elminster bowed his head in acknowledgment between striding away.

Serenity and Harry grinned at their accomplishment before sighing and slowly moved away from their practice room. It had been a tiring few days, and they had a lot of neglected work to catch up on.

""""""""""""""""""

Over the course of the next few weeks, the two Gryffindors worked hard on perfecting their spell work. They had created only three spell webs in total, and their latest attempt became the best one that they could come up with before the Winter Hols.

The web filled up the entire room in a familiar spiral orb, glowing with a sense of inner light. Multi-colored strands littered the web. The center filled with an effervescent green, black, and white glow. It was their monumental creation, and the two sighed in delight, exhaustion and pride.

"You still have room to grow, but this should do nicely. If you are satisfied with this spell web, then all I can say is for you to return every few days to strengthen your spells. If you neglect it for too long, it will fade," Elminster advised, nodding in approval as he checked their work.

"Thank Merlin," Harry muttered in exhaustion, almost to the brink of unconsciousness.

"We missed two weeks of school for this," Serenity mentioned, lying limply on the floor. She was too tired to shift into a more comfortable position.

Elminster shook his head before casting two spells respectively between them. A light blue glow surrounded the two.

"_Arcane Rejuvenation_," Elminster noticed the two's bemusement, feeling their energy return, "You regain your health immediately after the spell has been cast. It should be in the book I have lent you – though I doubt you cast it a moment of your time, given the type of spells you have been searching for."

"Useful, that," Harry commented, testing out his limbs alongside Serenity.

"Though not of your skill level – at least not yet," Elminster noted.

"You came by from time to time to cast this on us," Serenity stated more than inquired.

"Every three days," Elminster acknowledged, "One must keep their energy and body fully functioning to survive."

"Now we can only hope this creation will keep us _all_ alive when the time calls for it," Harry murmured as he strode toward the door with Serenity in tow.

"Yes, let's," Elminster murmured under his breath, a trace of sadness appearing in his blue eyes.

(Mystra please watch over them for I will not be here when the time comes.)

He had been given notice by his Goddess, and he would abide by it.

He would be leaving tomorrow night, Thursday, December 16.

"""""""""""""""""""

"What do you mean he's gone?!" McGonagall all but screeched.

The staff had gathered in their lounge room that early Friday morning. At first everyone had assumed the quirky Professor had simply decided to skip the evening meal. However Serenity Moon and Harry Potter had passed by his office and found the Professor's belongings missing. The only thing left behind was a note: _Mystra calls for me. Farewell._

"Mystra? Who is Mystra?" McGonagall continued onward, tossing the parchment on the table for the others to view.

"Now Minerva, we must not…" the Headmaster had been the first one to receive word from his two students, hoping that he had an explanation. However, he was unable to provide one. Even he had not expected their latest Defense Professor to simply vanish in the middle of the year.

"We should just be thankful that he had not left earlier. We can search for a temporary Professor for the children during the Winter Hols," Flitwick piped up.

"We'll tell the children at breakfast time. Until then," Dumbledore turned to regard Severus Snape, "Severus would you be willing to take over the position until we find a suitable replacement?"

"Very well," Severus nodded in assent.

At that the Headmaster moved onto more topics concerning the children and even delved a bit into the possibilities that may occur, should Voldemort attack the school. All topics were lengthily discussed up until it was time for them to depart for breakfast in the Great Hall.

""""""""""""""

The news of Professor Elminster Aumar leaving the school had not been a surprise to most of the population – either they had expected it, or had already been told about the occurrence before breakfast began. In either case, the news was received well – even the news of Professor Snape taking over the DADA class.

Therefore the two days left before Winter Hols had sped by quickly enough. And when the time came, the whole school was buzzing with excitement over the two week break. Even the news of the attacks did not dampen the spirits of the school.

At least, that's what they would like to believe.

Serenity was sitting beside Draco at the Slytherin table, eating breakfast and hearing the comments over the Daily Prophet. It appeared that nothing more than skirmishes had been happening throughout the country. The largest attack had occurred in a nearby bridge across the countryside – 20 muggles had died, 3 of which were a family of Muggleborns. Nothing else of large importance had occurred; it almost seemed as if….

"He's planning something," a fellow Slytherin commented while the rest of the table nodded or remained eerily silent.

Since their mutual defect of the Dark Lord, the Slytherins had become more selective of their words and actions.

"So he is."

Serenity remained silent, but chose to lean against Draco's shoulder, their hands entwining underneath the table for support.

_I'm scared._

_So am I._

"""""""""""""""""

"It's time," red eyes gleamed in the dark as they surveyed his greatest assets.

It had taken him longer than he had expected, but he had managed to gather the support force he would need for his next attack. The small battles he had planned served to temporarily sway the leftover Ministry officials to run across the countryside to tend to others. In reality, he wished to have their eyes away from where he truly set his sight on.

"Come, we have business tonight – at Hogwarts."

Turning around, he led the way – black robes billowing behind him and a dark mass surrounding his form. Soon a large outline of a door appeared followed by a shimmering portal. Without a backwards glance, Lord Voldemort stepped through the portal followed by his followers.

""""""""""""""""""

Voldemort hovered in midair, a velvet blanket of darkness, rich and seeped in dark magic surrounded his body. Crimson red eyes steadily observed what he deemed would soon be their battlefield.

His followers had followed him here, and he would give them what he promised – blood, honor, and glory. The subsequent battle would be his for the taking aided by his enlisted army that he brought to Hogwarts. This battlefield would be what he deemed the moment that would secure his monumental victory.

The defeat of his two greatest opponents – Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.

A salacious grin spread across his pale features as his Inner Circle filed and ordered his followers into groups and ranks. On the ground stood his massive army – mingled with his Death Eaters stood or hovered a myriad of Dark Creatures – werewolves, banshees, inferi, dementors, and giants.

"Let us begin." He trained his wand and shot it in the air; a wave of darkness spread out from its tip and enveloped the moon overhead.

With a great roar, his followers began their onslaught.

""""""""""""""""

"There are thousands of them out there!" a number of students quivered in fear.

"At least there are no vampires or dragons, or else we'd be in an even worse state."

"Don't jinx it!"

"Did you..."

The castle shook, sending several students, and a number of adults to fall down.

"What was that?"

One of the students looked up at the enchanted ceiling, and paled.

"It's pitch black..."

"Of course it is! The sun set hours ago." A fifth year retorted.

"No-no, it's _really_ pitch black!" the student repeated, more forceful the second time around. And this time, the student pointed up to the enchanted ceiling. Wordlessly, the students looked up alongside a few of the staff members. Gasps, stifled shrieks, and mumbled curses soon followed, for indeed the sky really was _pitched black_.

To be continued…  
""""""""""""""""""

And so it begins…

I hope that you all liked the sorry so far. And thank you for the loyal readers out there that have steadfastly followed my story since the beginning. The end will come soon. It will either be the next chapter or the one after that. Either way, it's two chapters or less.

I have been tinkering with the idea of just getting rid of the side-chapters for Needed, and either cast away with it all or upload it into this one. I'm thinking of the latter, because it'd be a waste to just discard the one-shot stories altogether.


	28. Chapter 28

Title: Needed

Chapter 28

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

""""""""""""

It was moments like this that the Muggleborns and Muggle-raised half bloods truly wished that they remained in the Muggle world.

If they remained in the muggle world and held hostage inside their school, they had ways of contacting the outside world in quick effortless steps. If they remained in the muggle world, the danger they would face would simply be a few muggles holding dangerous devices on their person – guns, bombs, etc. There were ways to counter those – difficult and life threatening, but doable.

However, they were not in the muggle world. They were in the Wizarding world. There were no devices for them to push that would instantly send the media and authorities running to their school. There were no phones for them to call for help or say their last farewell to significant others or parental figures. There were none of these technologies available to their wizarding kind.

They needed Floo networks and strong magic abilities to link to the outside.

All they could do was stay inside the castle and wait.

They just wished that they knew what it was they were waiting for.

"""""""""""""""""""

"This is like last year all over again," a few of the students murmured.

"Except worse," another commented bitterly, "There's a whole army out there. And we can't even tell if it's night or day. It feels as if we've been here for _days_."

"It's You-Know-Who, right?" another said, "Why is You-Know-Who not saying anything? All he's done is attack the school wards!"

"I hope those wards _hold_."

"Shut up! You're going to make it worse by bringing those images up!"

Students quickly lost their tempers and argued. Other students held a silent vigil or broke down into tears, wishing for a way to escape.

What was once such a cheerful, carefree atmosphere was quickly vanished with the arrival of the Dark Lord.

And everyone knew why he came.

"Just give him Potter that should straighten out everything, right?"

"Shut up!" Ron cried out, "Who said that? Come over here and I'll _throw_ _you_ to You-Know-Who!"

"Leave it alone, Ron, they're just scared." Harry said quietly, trying to keep peace.

"Don't tell me you're not scared, Harry. This is different from our previous years. He's never dared to bring a whole army after your head!" Ron turned to his best friend, worry and fear evident in his blue eyes.

"Of course I'm scared, Ron," Harry placated his best friend before turning his attention elsewhere.

A few tables down, Harry saw Hermione trying to comfort the younger years of their House. He wished that he could do something to help, but right now he couldn't do anything. Not until the adults had a better understanding of what was occurring outside these castle walls.

""""""""""""

"Sir, those who supported the Dark Lord has left the castle," Draco reported to their Head of House.

"I have expected as much, thank you," Severus Snape had not received a moments rest since the initial onslaught against the castle's wards.

Severus had known about the attack, but was not told _when_ it would take place. He had attended the Dark Lord's meetings, but everything had been vague in his understanding of what the battle would consist of.

Now the time had come, and he had not been summoned to the Dark Lord's side. He _knew_ that his position had been revealed, but the question was _who_ revealed it? To his knowledge, he had not slipped his mask or Occlumency shields. There was no outstanding evidence that he could find that would indicate that he had turned traitor. He could only believe that someone in the Dark Lord's ranks had told him of his true colors.

"Sir, will there be anything else?'

Severus stared at his godson for a brief moment before shaking his head.

Draco nodded, knowing that there was more into this than his godfather revealed. He would just have to figure it out on his own.

""""""""""""""""""""

"She's not here."

"Who's not here?" Ron asked while Ginny and Hermione looked up from a table not far away, eyes instantly going over the Great Hall.

"Serenity." Harry elaborated, "…so are Luna and Neville."

"Where's Malfoy?" Hermione piped up, eyes locking toward the Slytherin section of the Great Hall.

She noticed Zabini and their eyes momentarily locked, an unspoken conversation filtering between them before the two looked away.

"There's something more to this than just Voldemort attacking the school," Harry surmised.

"Why do I get a feeling that it's just going to get worse?" Ron groaned aloud, earning a dry chuckle from Dean and Seamus.

"It's what we get for being associated with Potter," Seamus smirked.

"""""""""""""""

"My Lord, the wards have begun to show signs of weakening."

Voldemort smirked at the news; they had been battering the strengthened wards for a day now. He had estimated that if they continued this way, the wards would fall in two days.

"Tell the others to slow the process, I wish to prolong our siege – until Christmas Eve."

Nearby Death Eaters shifted uncertainly but none spoke a word of protest.

"Of course, my Lord."

Voldemort leaned back in his summoned high back chair, a glass of red wine appearing in his outstretched hand and took a sip, savoring the taste.

"Fenrir – have your companions make their rounds around the surrounding castle. Let our hosts know that you are close by."

Fenrir cracked a salacious grin as he licked his lips, eager to finally have something to do.

Soon a howl echoed throughout the surrounding fields, followed by shouts and hoots from their companions.

Yes, everything was going as planned.

He could almost taste his victory.

""""""""""""""""""""

Luna notices things that others usually don't see. She notices the magic surrounding the school and always keeps an open ear to the whisperings of the walls and the very heart of the school. Her father always told her that keeping an open heart and mind will lead her to the right path.

And she heartily believed that.

After all, she found her true friends in that fashion. She believed in them when others haven't, and gave them her total support. In return, she gained valuable friends that would last for a lifetime.

By listening to the school, she had discovered plenty of secrets by decoding what the school truly wanted to tell her.

She knew about Lord Voldemort's pre-emptive attack toward the school – Hogwarts herself had warned her earlier. The Forbidden Forest had relayed the very words to her.

It had led Luna to try and voice her words – "A danger foreseen is half avoided".

She thought her words direct enough, but apparently others had only looked at her strangely – as they usually did – before returning to their own narrow minded world.

Not wanting to waste time, she tried to warn Neville. And though he wanted to believe her words – he had believed that Voldemort was up to something – Neville could not figure out when the attack would happen.

Before either of them could make a plan, the inevitable happened.

Lord Voldemort had arrived.

The attack frightened the majority of the populace. No one had believed that Voldemort would attack the school in such a timeframe. If anything, they had expected him to attack another location – most believing he didn't have the guts or the resources.

The first few hours were the most frightening – especially when they discovered that they were surrounded, with no way of escape. Known passages were discovered to be blocked, and the few Floo networks were out of commission.

With this knowledge, the staff could only offer so much comfort.

Hope was dwindling, and fast.

"We need to do something." Luna remembers Neville's very words after the shock wore off.

She had been about to voice her opinion of finding the flying Humdingers that she spotted on the Fourth Floor, when her eyes caught sight of Serenity vanishing behind a tapestry.

"Serenity…" Luna voiced aloud, earning Neville's avid attention and quickly followed her line of sight.

"Where?"

Instead of answering, Luna nonchalantly picked up her boyfriend's hand and gently led the way, dancing between students and staff alike.

"To a place of mischief and magic," Luna sang before whipping the tapestry back and pushing Neville through, following right after.

Now here they were – in a dark passage with no end in sight.

"Serenity." Luna called out, catching sight of the teenager.

"Luna… Neville," Serenity paused, looking abashed.

"Where were you headed? Didn't the Headmaster want us to stay in the Great Hall?" Neville abruptly asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

A bit embarrassed at being caught, she shifted on the balls of her feet before sighing audibly and turned down a narrow path – signing for the two to follow her.

Luna and Neville obeyed.

"""""""""""""""""

Draco took a shuddering breath – he had discovered the culprit.

"Why? How?" Draco wanted to voice these aloud, but did not utter a word.

He simply stared at the one that revealed Severus Snape to the Dark Lord. It was this discovery that Draco Malfoy immediately knew had filled his Head of House's troubled thoughts.

"Malcolm Baddock."

He leaned confidently behind the stone pillar, coolly gazing at the perpetrator, his wand lazily fixed between his fingers as it trained on the younger year.

"M-Malfoy."

"I'm curious." Draco easily disarmed the fourth year, "How _you_ got hold of the information."

"What do you…mean?" Baddock stared uneasily at Draco's wand, and stared after his own as it disappeared into Draco's sleeve.

Draco immediately narrowed his expression, a frown settling on his face.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Draco wordlessly spelled Baddock into a Full Body Bind, making sure to leave only Baddock's mouth able to move.

"N-No," Baddock immediately stuttered, incapable of moving his whole body.

Draco lifted an eyebrow expectantly.

"I was there!" Baddock finally revealed, "With the invitations… I _saw_. My family is known to the Dark Lord."

Draco nodded firmly, jaws tightening. He had heard of something like this during his training with his Father. There were many neutrals, but not all of them were truly in that stance. It appeared the Baddocks were among those that only used it to keep themselves out of the picture. They were informants for the Dark Lord – able to blend into society and find information that the Dark Lord could use.

They were not mindful of the younger years listening in. They thought a simple privacy spell would be enough, but it seemed they were wrong. Anyone with a determined mind could figure out how to break the spell.

It appears that Baddock was proof of that.

"Fool."

Draco stepped away from the pillar and trained a steady hand on Baddock. He began to sputter, sweat lining his face, and a wetness pooling underneath his form. Sneering at the sniveling child, Draco wordlessly cast a spell on him. He made sure to clean up the mess that Baddock left behind.

Malcolm Baddock would serve no further problems for the Slytherins.

Draco Malfoy made sure of that.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

The room was dark – the only light stemming from the glow of the web that lied inside.

Upon entrance, Luna and Neville knew that what Serenity wanted to show them was the single item in the center of the room.

"Spell Web," Serenity simply stated, blue eyes never straying from the glowing threads.

"Harry and you worked on it." Luna simply stated, already hearing the unspoken words from the walls of the room – telling her its story.

"This is just one of the few that we created in our attempt of defeating Voldemort."

"I don't know much about spells, but I can already tell that it's powerful." Neville said, as he tentatively took a step closer.

"It's our first, actually," Serenity smiled kindly, fingers ghosting over its threads.

Neville broke his gaze at the web and looked at Serenity, contemplating over the unspoken words lying between them.

"Rock a bye baby on a tree top… when the wind blows the cradle will rock," Luna sang.

They didn't need to clarify what Luna was trying to convey to them. It was clear enough for the small group to understand.

Ravenclaw's tower would be the best vantage point to let the spell loose.

The problem was how to get it there.

"Let's get this started."

""""""""""""""""""""""""

Dumbledore always prided himself for his intelligence and inherent charisma. It helped that his name inspired respect and awe – the Dumbledore family tree stretched over centuries of brilliance and power.

However with the disabled Floo network and Anti-Apparition wards in place, no solution came to mind. The idea of _creating_ a Portkey became a loss when his gifted colleagues could not make the object focus on a suitable location. Their options had become more narrow and skewed.

"Headmaster," the grave faces of his colleagues looked at him, most in hope and others in despair.

"We cannot keep this a secret from the children much longer," Minerva said in a thin voice, worry evident.

"You don't need to keep it a secret." Hermione Granger's voice intruded making their majority turn around and stare at the Golden Trio.

"A lot of the students have already come to their own conclusions. It doesn't take a genius to know that _You-Know-Who_ has arrived. If you keep information away like this, it'll only worry them more. Maybe even start a revolt." Ron intruded, blunt as always.

"He is right, Headmaster," Flitwick agreed, earning nods from a few other Professors, albeit in a more respectable manner.

Dumbledore took the time to study each of their faces, weighing his options carefully in his head before releasing a sigh. It couldn't be helped – they were right and it was time to take the next step.

He cast a _Sonorus_ over the room with a flick of his wrist and faced the awaiting audience.

"As you all may have heard – the castle is under attack. It has been approximately 34 hours since it had first begun, and there is not sign of it letting up." Dumbledore immediately began, and a rush of nervous murmurs spread throughout the room.

Most of the students were well aware of this news, but had now finally received confirmation.

"This attack has been initiated by Voldemort."

Most expressions carried deep resignation aligned with mortification and worry. It was inevitable – but the _timing_ was just something they had not expected from You-Know-Who. There was no special day in store, being a few days shy of Christmas.

"We do not know when the Aurors will depart and try to stage a counterattack to free us from this institution, but we assure you that it will only be a matter of time. Your family should already be well aware that the Hogwarts Train has not arrived, and will begin an inquiry or has already done so."

Hope filled their expressions, but most were waiting for more information.

"Your Professors' and I have been talking amongst ourselves on extra measures we should take."

Dumbledore's eyes had dimmed at the next words that were about to come from his mouth – the truth is freeing, yet the burden it carries…

"Unfortunately, not much can be done. The Floo Networks and all known passageways have been blocked, the attempted Porkeys that have been created have failed due to a heavy magical field that has been cast around the Institution, and all other options seem to be diminishing as we speak.

At the moment…"

"We can't just give up!" Surprisingly the voice came not from Harry as most eyes fell on the raven haired teenager, but stemmed from Seamus.

"Then what would you deign us do, Finnegan?" Blaise sneered from his position.

"If the Professors can't think up something, then the rest of us can help think up something else!" Dean added, not willing to let his best friend flounder under everyone's gaze.

"Like what?" another student piped up.

"What else? A way out of this!" Pansy slammed the palm of her hands down on the table, standing up, "I refuse to just sit idly by and let the Dark Lord kill us. I've already claimed my side in this war, and I refuse to _lose_."

"Slytherins always fight to stay on the winning side." Millicent nodded in agreement.

The Slytherins suddenly stood up as a whole and stared at the other students, waiting for them to make their move. And silently the other students cautiously stood as well, knowing that they were going to do a repeat performance from last year.

It would be a combined effort as a whole between the Houses and the Staff in trying to fight and think up a way to get out of this situation – _alive_.

As Dumbledore stood to look over them, he knew that he would always remember and treasure this moment in his life – the night that House discrimination had ceased to exist.

He would need to thank Tom later for that – should he come across the man in the battlefield.

"""""""""""""""""

It took a grand total of four hours 15 minutes and 42 seconds to move the Spell Web out of the small room without ruining the threading and magical wards carefully placed on it. Then it took roughly 12 hours for the trio to move the Spell Web in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower – not counting the multiple rest breaks they took in between. The winding spiral staircase they had to climb was a difficult task that caused them to take longer than necessary.

It also didn't help that they would now have to figure out how to keep the door open long enough for the trio to move the Web through.

"Why not just ask the knocker to keep itself open long enough for us to get through?" Neville asked, making the other two look at him in surprise.

Serenity blushed at the thought, not having come to that simple answer. Luna simply took it all in stride.

"What are you three up to? And what is that?" Draco's voice filtered in the empty corridor of the fifth floor.

The three looked in surprise as they stared at a slightly disheveled Draco Malfoy.

"A Spell Web that we created under Professor Elminister's guidance," Serenity nonchalantly replied, waving Draco to come closer.

"I've never even heard of this," Draco narrowed his eyes at the spell structure, "Are you really going to use it?"

"What other choice do we have?" Neville crossly replied – the hours they spent on moving the Spell Web was too taxing for him, and he simply wanted to get this over with.

Draco smirked in reply, letting the Gryffindor's terse comment slide by. He could clearly tell the three were at their limit.

"Well are you going to stand there or help us?" Serenity smirked and Draco could only smirk in return.

Taking out his wand, he did as he was instructed on how to properly spell the Web to move the way they wanted it to – making sure to take everything into account on what to watch out for, etc.

Once done, he nodded in confidence that he could do as instructed, and waited with baited breath for the upcoming attack that their small group was about to unleash.

He knew that this was stupid, unplanned, and such a Gryffindor thing to do.

But at this moment, as he stared into crystal blue eyes and bright smile from _his_ Serenity, Draco Malfoy could care less.

It was the price he paid for falling in love with the Gryffindor maiden.

""""""""""""""

The Great Hall was different from an outsider's point of view. The greatest difference being that the tables were meshed together with students flittering between tables, talking loudly with one another – shouting ideas and tactics with no beginning or end. Professors continued to speak with one another, but students no longer felt the need to use boundaries and constantly ran up the dais to speak with one professor or another.

Everything and everyone was available for you to speak your ideas and opinions to – not excluding the Potions Master and the Headmaster.

"What if we use…" Hermione was apparently one of the most sought after tacticians in the room, as she held her ground near the dais with Harry and Ron.

A flash of light lightened the otherwise pitch dark sky overhead. This was followed by a large shout of commands from outside – possibly helped by a _Sonorous_ – and explosions.

"Merlin help us; they broke through the wards, didn't they?" a student hysterically cried out.

The Headmaster looked around the room, eyes grave before turning to his subordinates.

"We need to know what the situation is outside – it's unfortunate that the only scrying bowl we have is not stored in our beloved school," Dumbledore frowned.

"I could transform into my Animagus form and slip outside," McGonagall offered, knowing that it would be dangerous once she left the school's walls.

"That won't be necessary," Harry intervened, and held out the Marauder's map.

"It's the Marauder's Map, sir," Hermione said in a way of explanation.

Looking closer, the Professors could see the dots lining the whole of the school – everyone was in the Great Hall. The difference was clear by the show of four dots lined up on the fifth floor – Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Draco Malfoy, and Serenity Moon.

"…why won't it be necessary, Mr. Potter?" Professor Snape waved at the map, "When it simply shows here that mere students had run off in a form of mischief while the school is under siege?"

Harry gripped the map tighter in his hand, fighting the need to shout in exasperation.

"I believe that the reason _they_ are there is because of Ravenclaw Tower," Harry began, drawing more eyes to his form, "They were the ones to begin the attack."

"Harry, would you explain?" Dumbledore and the rest of the school grew quiet at Harry's admission.

"It's no secret that Serenity and I were working on something with Professor Elminster." Harry began, "What we created was a spell that would hopefully defeat Voldemort."

Gasps filled the Great Hall, eyes wide and hopeful.

"There were three that we created, but only one was successful. We stored them in the rooms we cast them in – sealing them inside. The Professor deemed that they would be useful." Harry cast his gaze around the room, "He was right."

"So you're saying that Serenity _cast_ this spell?" a random student asked aloud.

"It's a Spell Web," Harry stressed out, he knew this was going to be difficult to explain, "It took hours, even days to cast and formed it into a type of web that held all the spells in place."

"A combination spell that took days to cast," Hermione tried to put together, hoping that it would simplify what Harry was trying to say.

Several people stood in amazement – the thought of dozens, maybe hundreds of spells being cast at once was mind boggling.

"To think Serenity did all of this," Ron murmured.

"Then why not cast the other two at once while she was at it?!" others cried out.

"It takes a lot of effort to even budge that Web an inch." Harry sighed, shaking his head, "I briefly thought of using it when the attack began. However, the two of us could barely move the smallest Spell Web a few feet without exerting ourselves."

"You have a room full of wizards and witches at your disposal now, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

Harry was about to speak when Serenity came barging into the Great Hall, hair in disarray and eyes blazing.

"They broke through the wards!"

Instant pandemonium filled the Hall, especially when they heard shouts and orders come closer from outside the school.

"They're coming closer," Flitwick announced.

"We need to get the lower years to safety," Madame Pomfrey shouted aloud with worry.

No one knew what to do in that instant, several thoughts filling their minds at once.

Draco came running inside followed closely by Luna and Neville, "It looks like we only have a few minutes – possibly an hour left."

"There are wards over the front doors," the Headmaster nodded, hoping that his words could provide a little comfort.

It helped – but only barely.

"If only we knew a way of escape," Harry's hands immediately flew to his hair, ruffling it.

"What about the Room of Requirement?" Ron asked.

Those who knew of the Room stood stock still in silence, thinking of the possibility.

"Malcolm Baddock," Draco whispered to himself before flying out of the room.

"What was that just now?" Ron wondered aloud.

"""""""""""""""""""

"Where were you headed, Baddock?"

The smaller year gaped in terrified silence, unsure how to respond to the question. He had learned to keep himself quiet after his run-in with Malfoy. The agony that he faced at the 7th year's hands was too much – he did not want a repeat performance.

"Answer me," Draco kicked him, causing Malcolm to flinch and bite his lips from crying out in pain.

The two were hidden by the shadows in a secret passage known only by a select few of the Slytherin population. It served as a place for those who desired silence and privacy all at once.

No one would be able to hear you scream – whether it stemmed from pleasure or in pain.

Looking into cold, gray eyes Malcolm knew that there would be no mercy if he refused the Slytherin Prince.

"The Kitchens…"

Draco hid his surprise at the answer. He had not expected that as the answer. He expected hidden passageways, a backdoor as a means of escape, or even a rare item akin to a Portkey.

Not the Kitchens.

"Portkeys and Apparition points have been closed off. We can't chance having an insider lead us out through the passageways – there are eyes everywhere."

Draco knew this, having heard this spiel from the others.

"…the Kitchens were how the other Slytherins escaped."

"There's a passageway from there?"

Malcolm laughed only to be kicked again by Draco, but the lower year only continued to laugh all the harder.

"Houseleves, Malfoy – they escaped through the use of Houseleves."

Draco paled.

""""""""""""""""

"All this time!" Draco stood impassively as he watched his peers and Professors grow wide in shock at the obvious answer to their lingering problem.

"We won't have time to send all the children to the Kitchens and get transported away from Hogwarts!" McGonagall cried in dismay, "There are not enough House Elves for that."

"…we won't even know what safe location we can send them to." Another Professor added.

"We'll search for one that will be agreeable to all of us," Madame Pomfrey assured them.

"How would we do that? We have half an hour – at most!"

More arguments ensued while the lower years shivered and talked amongst themselves, wondering how the adults would deal with this situation.

"Instead of arguing – why don't we begin planning?!" Harry cried aloud, frustration evident in his cold tone.

It was not long before most of Hogwarts were crowded around the Kitchens – the House Elves stopping their duties to stare at their newest guests.

"Dobby!" Harry came forward to the familiar House Elf beside Winky.

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby came forward; glad to see his friend well.

"Dobby I was…" Harry stopped and corrected himself, "_We_ were wondering if you could help us."

"Of course Harry Potter! Anything for you!"

Relief met the majority of Hogwarts at the House Elf's words.

"We heard that there were students using the Kitchens to get out of Hogwarts," Harry began.

At this, Dobby's eyes widened and several House Elves stared in shock and fear.

"No-Not all of us, no! We would not…" Dobby began to furiously say.

"Dob-Dobby!" Harry cried over Dobby and several other House Elves' as they began to furiously deny and try to make themselves heard.

"Dobby!" Draco pushed his way forward, and came to stand in front of his former House Elf.

"Young Master Draco…" Dobby looked back and forth between his former master and his current friend, unsure of what circumstances this brought.

"I want you tell us how you got those students out," Draco ordered.

"…and tell us if you and your kind can help our lower years get out as well," Hermione added.

"It would be a great help to us, Dobby," Harry finished.

Dobby looked at all the faces before whimpering and tugging at his ears.

"Winky has been helping them," Dobby confessed.

"House Elves are able to disappear at will you see," a high voice popped up, belonging to another House Elf.

"Yes, yes – House Elves have magic of their own," Dobby nodded, "We can do magic without the use of wands or words. Magic placed on here that would prevent your kind from disappearing does not apply to us."

At those words the majority of the Hogwarts population released a breath of amazement – maybe, just maybe, not everything would be a loss cause.

"Do you think…?" Serenity moved forward to stand beside Draco, grasping his hand in the process, "Do you think you and the others could find a way out – a safe place – for our lower years?"

The House Elves looked at one another and then looked back at the young maiden requesting their aid.

"There are about a hundred House Elves in the Kitchens, and we have about 2-300 lower years," the Headmaster's eyes twinkled, seeing that maybe this could work out after all.

"We need to get them out before Voldemort attacks the school," Serenity stressed the importance of this.

At her words several House Elves gasped in shock and whimpered at the implications – their home would be attacked!

"Please take them somewhere safe."

At this Dobby looked at the House Elves who looked back, and Winky nodded at Dobby in affirmation.

"We will do as you ask us to."

""""""""""""""

"Do you think they got out safe?" Hermione worried aloud, earning exasperated grunts and sighs from students around.

After seeing a hundred House Elves disappear and reappear with the younger years, a lot of their worry had been released from the older years and the staff members.

Those who stayed behind were mostly those of Fourth Year and above – about 4-500 students had now left the school or were in the process.

Those left behind gathered in front of the Great Hall with only their wands as their means of a weapon.

No one knew if reinforcements were going to come. It had been _days_ since the attack began.

No one knew if Voldemort's forces outside were as terrifying as they thought it would be.

No one knew a lot of things as they stood there – most of the population quaking in fear, some even passing out at the thought of standing against Death Eaters and magical creatures.

However, they did know one thing, they wished for their kind's existence.

They wanted to _live_. Not in the simple sense of the definition, but to have the desire and ability to be free to do as they wished.

Everyone in that castle wanted that – not a life of torture and pain, of enslavement as the Dark Lord would have it.

They wanted _peace_ or a semblance of the word.

And so they stood there in wait.

"We can do this," Harry whispered aloud, breaking the stillness around them.

_We have to. _

The doors to the Entrance of the School were slammed open, breaking and splintering.

Everyone tensed wands at the ready and waited as the onrush of the Dark Lords' servants come scrambling in, a feral look in their eyes.

The Final Battle was finally here.

To be continued…

"""""""""""""""""

The next chapter will be more of a stepping stone. I thought it weird if I made Chapter 29 as the Final Chapter. Instead, there will be 30 chapters. Chapter 29 will be the battle, and Chapter 30 is the aftermath.

In case you're wondering – Chapter 29 will be a shorter chapter since it focuses on the battle.


	29. Final Battle

Title: Needed

Chapter 29

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Please note that some of the words in here have been taken from the last two volumes of the Sailor Moon Star S manga.

"""""""""""""

Mayhem.

Scattered debris, broken walls and doors, broken light fixtures and stairways.

There was no end to the destruction that the ongoing war had caused.

Serenity groaned under the weight of whatever had fallen over her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to ignore the pain shooting across her spine and protesting limbs. With a hoarse cry, she forced herself to roll over and push the weight off of her body.

It was a dead body – a Death Eater.

Looking around she found her wand thankfully close by and picked it up, hissing when her bloodied palms made contact with the wood.

She lost sight of her comrades after the first 20 minutes that the battle started. There was too much happening during the first surge that she could barely find the time to blink between the spells that she mechanically dodged and countered.

Ten minutes into it, her wand had been spelled away from her and she had to perform wandlessly – surprising the majority of those who witnessed her more advanced spell work.

Knowing that time was of the essence, she looked outside the broken wall and noticed that the fight had moved there – screams and orders shouting over the din.

"Selene, please help me," Serenity prayed before taking a deep breath and moved forward.

She willingly went back into the fray.

""""""""""""""

Harry and Draco dodged and scattered every few seconds, trying to get through the throng of Death Eaters – now and then aided by their comrades.

"Potter," Draco's eyes were fixed straight ahead, muttering a series of Curses that Harry no doubt thought the Slytherin learned from his Wizard upbringing.

"Malfoy."

"The final Spell Web should be arriving in a few hours – do you think Perfect Potter can hold up until then?"

If Harry was surprised by Draco's admission to having the Spell Web moved at his command, he didn't show it.

"Do you think the Slytherin Ice Prince can keep himself from trouble until then?"

Harry smirked at the grinning Slytherin.

"You wish."

"""""""""""""""""

No one knew what time it was when the time came. They just knew that the inevitable stand-off had finally arrived.

Harry Potter against the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Good versus Evil.

The two squared off in a small patch of burnt grass close to the castle gates. In the near distance Death Eaters and students fought against one another. A little farther Aurors had just arrived – a bit late considering that the conclusive battle was near at hand.

"Any last words, Potter?" Voldemort's red eyes glowed in the darkness, a thin smile on his human features.

Coming closer, Serenity regained her breathing as she struggled to get back up, her wand clutched tightly in her hand.

It was a few seconds ago that the two of them had tried their hand in releasing their most powerful Spell Web at the Dark Lord.

… only for it to _fail_.

The web had greatly helped in gravely injuring the Dark Lord. But a sudden darkness encompassed him, making the injuries that he sustained magically heal. Serenity inwardly knew that it was Chaos' doing.

There was nothing now to stand in the way for the Prophecy to complete itself:

…_and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_

It was kill or be killed, and as Harry looked at Voldemort, he knew that there was nothing left for him to defend himself.

He had lost his wand while he performed the combined spell with Serenity to release the Spell Web ages ago, depleting his magical reserves in the process.

He could scarcely keep his strength to stand up against the Dark Lord even at this moment.

(Is this the end…?)

Taking a deep breath, Harry prepared his response. There was no way in hell he was going down without getting in a last biting comment.

"_Fuc_…"

"Where there is darkness, there is light."

Voldemort looked away from Harry and over his shoulder – a hint of surprise and wariness in his gaze.

"Darkness brings light and light brings darkness," Serenity looked down at her wand, her stance weak and her appearance almost fragile.

"Serenity…" Harry had turned around, looking at her with concern.

In the distance the Aurors had begun their infiltration, taking down Death Eaters from sheer size. Close by, Draco could be seen desperately trying to get closer only to be stopped by incoming Death Eaters – one of which was his own father.

"We are destined to be together – to eternally fight against one another, aren't we?" Serenity looked up, tears running down her face, "…Chaos."

Voldemort's face contorted at her words, a feral grin appearing on his face.

"Sailor Moon," Voldemort's voice suddenly deepened and changed, becoming colder.

"This battle has to end," Serenity said, a more determined expression appearing on her face.

"Are you admitting defeat?" Voldemort passed by Harry who tried to stop him, only to be backhanded.

The seventeen year old groaned aloud, wincing at the direct hit.

"No," Serenity's voice strengthened, as if her voice echoed throughout the field, "I want the suffering to end."

Voldemort's features had almost completely altered, shifting to that of complete darkness. The only part that held the same similarity to the Dark Lord was his eyes.

"At the end of a battle, there is hope for the future," Serenity ignored the frantic calls of his friends – her boyfriend being the loudest - as she stepped closer, "and I will make a future for my friends."

"Serenity whatever it is, please…" Draco tried to come closer but suddenly a barrier had appeared between him and where Serenity, Voldemort, and Harry were.

"_Please_… you don't have to do this," Draco tried again only for it to be in vain.

"Draco…" Lucius had his wand out, pointed at his son.

Unfortunately, Draco was too taken in by what was in front of him – his whole self was focused only on Serenity.

He knew that whatever he would say would fall on deaf ears – Serenity had always believed in standing up for what was right. She was noble and pure hearted in that fashion – a part of her that he would always love. But at this moment, he could care less about her noble, brave Gryffindor nature.

He just wanted her alive, and back in his arms.

"Serenity…" Draco watched in horror as a wave of light suddenly engulfed the three of them, warding the place away from prying eyes.

_I love you_…

"_Crucio_!" Lucius' gray eyes were sad but resolute as the thin beam of light emitted from his wand, hitting his only son from behind.

A pain filled, agonizing scream erupted from Draco's throat.

""""""""""""""""""

It was hazy wherever they were.

Harry blinked his eyes slowly only to be faced with nothing but pure white.

"I once thought that I lost everything," a voice appeared from behind him, and Harry hurriedly turned around.

It was Serenity, but something about her was different. It wasn't only because of her change of clothing – something that reminded him of a sailor uniform, but shorter and more revealing with odd designs. There was an aura about her, as if she possessed some knowledge way beyond her years and an untold power that surrounded her.

"I thought that I had nothing left to live for – I questioned my existence," sadness filled her and Harry wanted to reach out and comfort her, "What else was there to fight for if not for my friends and loved ones?"

An image suddenly sprang behind her – hazy and impermanent. There were several images of people that he had never met before, but was certain that Serenity met at one point in her life. It made Harry assume that these were possibly the family and friends that she could never bring up in any of their past conversations.

"Why should I have to fight?"

Another image, this time the images centered on Serenity. There were many battles – again, transient. Harry could not pinpoint one site or image; they just spun around in circles and angles that he could not comprehend. But all were centered on death, destruction, and heartbreak.

Serenity came closer. She reached out and touched him on the cheek, lovingly, breaking his focus as they centered only on her.

"Tell me Harry, why do you fight?"

"For my friends…" Harry answered automatically.

Serenity's eyes softened, "And without them…?"

Harry paused at this, not knowing how to formulate a response. Then slowly, cautiously he came to an answer.

"For our future," Harry responded, paused, and then added, "That's what you said before, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Serenity leaned forward, her lips brushing lightly across his forehead, "For our future."

She drew back and looked off to a distance to their right, and then looked back at him. Harry wondered if she had noticed the images behind her based on her action. He doubted that Serenity would even comment on it with him right beside her.

"I don't know what will happen, but will you help me?" Serenity reached out the palm of her gloved hand towards him, "Will you come with me to stand against him?"

"…of course."

Harry closed the distance between them, an invisible light encasing the two as the joined hands reached and met one another.

It was as if their destinies had entwined and the two souls became one.

And maybe it had, as of that moment.

"_Silver Moon Crystal Eternal Power!!_"

In the far distance of Scotland, a white beam of light encircled a seemingly remote area. This was followed by a hushed silence before screams of joy and exclamations flooded the region.

It was not long before the day was marked down as a historic moment in the Wizarding world.

December 31, 1997 at 11:59 PM: The Final Battle had ended with the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

"""""""""""""""""""

I would put a "To be continued…" here, but it doesn't look very fitting. The next chapter will serve as an epilogue with glimpses of what the others will be up to.

Yes, the images behind Serenity were of her past lives. I wanted the others to show up, but I didn't think it would suit the story – the past shall remain the past. But Serenity can never change the fact that fate will always have a say in her life. She can't run away from her duties.


	30. Epilogue

Title: Needed

Chapter 30 - Epilogue

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, and Silverfall belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

I just want to say thank you to all who have put up with my slow updates.

This will be the end of Needed.

"""""""""""""""

The mayhem that the war had caused the Wizarding world in Great Britain was a difficult one to repair. It had taken a few years before everyone was settled enough to slowly, but surely recover from the aftermath.

Schools, buildings, and homes had to be rebuilt.

Bodies had to be buried, and trials had to be held – the most taxing was finding suitable authorities to replace the old ones, making sure that the correct sentences would be carried out.

Amongst those tried was one Lucius Malfoy, and his end was sealed when the man was given a place in Azkaban – now monitored by veteran Aurors that would later be replaced by carefully tailored devices created from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

The devices served as surveillance cameras but magically enhanced to always be trained on the subject no matter where they were inside their cell. Should the subject be acting strangely, the devices would alert nearby Aurors on duty.

However, Lucius Malfoy had not lasted long in Azkaban – the elder Malfoy had killed himself in his cell two weeks after imprisonment. The means were unknown, but rumors – later confirmed Hermione – speculated that Lucius hanged himself with the standard white sheets all prisoners were provided. The fixture that he used to hang himself off of was the railing on top of his cell door. It was a small distance between the top of the door to the ground, and the amount of time it would take before he died would have to have been hours, but the deed was done.

The only one to attend the man's funeral was his wife as Draco Malfoy had been held in St. Mungo's.

Draco had not been the only one to suffer critical condition during the Final Battle, but he had been one of the worst cases the staff had come across. Draco had been reduced to insanity from the Cruciatus Curse his father inflicted on him.

When others had found the young man convulsing on the ground, Madame Pomfrey accompanied by Hermione Granger had hurriedly tried to treat him but came up with no answer to mentally heal him. Thus, he was swiftly transported to St. Mungo's and had remained there – right beside Neville's own parents and Lockheart.

Those close to Draco visited regularly, hoping any sign of sanity would appear on glazed gray orbs but to no avail. Pansy had promptly burst into tears at the sight and had to be guided out by her then-boyfriend Theodore Nott. Hermione could barely stay in the same room.

Narcissa, surprisingly, had come to visit quite frequently, always with a vase full of flowers and a solemn expression on her ageless face. Now that her husband had been laid to rest, she was free to do as she pleased – one of which was to provide her only son with as much support as she could offer.

Especially since months after the Final Battle, no one could find where Harry Potter and Serenity Moon had disappeared to. The only thing they knew for sure was that the Dark Lord Voldemort had been defeated when the bright light had settled and a large crater was left behind with a broken yew wand at its core.

For months people rejoiced just as much they mourned. In consequence, Wizarding Britain erected a memorial site for heroes that died in the war.

The largest ones were in the center made of square black marbles that floated off the ground, each one named after an Order member.

Minerva McGonagall – died as honorably as always with a stoic face and brave heart. She pushed her beloved Headmaster aside, taking the Killing Curse meant for him while at the same time, firing one last curse toward a nameless Death Eater heading towards one of her students.

Rubeus Hagrid – dove in the line of ten Death Eaters and werewolves when he saw Hermione, Ron, and Blaise cornered. Fang had perished with him when the wolf hound tried to claw at a werewolf to get to his master.

Sibyll Trelawney – the Divination Professor had died at the hands of Voldemort himself when she had noticed Serenity and Harry were busy trying to cast the Spell Web. She and Draco had bought the two enough time before they unleashed the spell.

Septima Vector – the Arithmancy Professor had taken down a group of Inferi along with her when she cast a powerful Fire spell that erupted all within a 50 foot radius.

Charity Burbage – the Muggle Studies Professor had been cornered on the staircases fighting against 5 Death Eaters by herself before being taken down by a werewolf. Not much was left of her in the end.

Argus Filch – sacrificed himself to the Dementors so that the left over lower years that had fool hardily believed they could play heroes could escape.

Many more had died, but these were the ones that – perhaps – had sacrificed the most during the Final Battle.

A year soon came to pass, followed by another.

By Spring of 2000, Hogwarts was proclaimed fit to open by that Fall – accepting old and new students alike into its halls.

"Draco _please_ get better." Pansy had not been able to visit for the past year, having gone to Beaubaxton to finish her schooling instead of waiting around for Hogwarts to open up.

Behind her were Blaise, Hermione, and Ginny – the former two visiting the most out of everyone. It seemed that with each passing year, there were less and less visitors. Everyone seemed to have been slowly, but surely moving on with their lives.

"I'm _sure_ he can hear me somehow," Pansy tore her eyes away from the motionless boy who favored to sit beside the window.

"I'm sure he can," Ginny forcefully swallowed – it was never easy for her to see someone helpless, it wasn't in her nature.

Hermione said nothing in response, choosing instead to come kneel in front of Draco and taking his cold hands into her own warm ones.

"Come back to us soon, Draco," Hermione began, "There's a lot that has changed in Hogwarts – things that you probably would want to be around for."

Getting the hint, the others came closer with Narcissa standing off to the side pretending to fiddle around with the vase of fresh flowers – carnations, this time.

"I heard Neville is going to be training under Professor Sprout – acting as her assistant," Ginny piped up.

"That werewolf is coming back – Lupin – and taking over DADA," Blaise said, getting hit on the arm by Hermione as a consequence, "Don't worry – Professor Snape will be covering those full moon days."

"There are rumors that a new Arithmancy Professor is going to be hired on staff – someone by the name of Amanda Mercurias," Hermione added, "I hope that she'll be a good teacher."

"…and if all goes well, my dear," Narcissa drifted over, laying a soft hand on her son's cheek, "Then I will accept the Board of Director's offer as the new Transfiguration Professor."

At her words, all eyes fell on her but were ignored in favor of her only son.

"Then let us hope that Draco overcomes this," Pansy said, breaking the still silence.

"""""""""""""""""""

After the defeat of Chaos, Serenity had fallen unconscious from the sheer pain that she had undergone. The energy, magic, and sheer willpower became too much for her mortal body and it had all fallen away.

She and Harry had died that night, only to be reborn again.

When Serenity had awoken as Cosmos, she knew what was to be expected of her. She did not need the Galaxy Cauldron to tell her that her duty in the mortal realm has been fulfilled. Nor did she need to be informed that she needed to take up her stance as a guardian.

For a long while, as her eyes fell on Harry's unconscious form she wanted to rave and throw a tantrum at the unfairness of it all.

Why was it that _she_ had to be the one to be left behind when _Harry Potter_ would be allowed to clamor back into his rightful place on Earth?

Why was it that _Harry _was able to live out the rest of his life without being duty bound by Fate and Destiny?

Why was it that….Serenity would always be the one to bear the brunt of the fate of the Galaxy?

Serenity had thought all of this as her blue eyes gazed on his still form. But for the life of her, Serenity could not go through with it, and instead kept her silence. She had allowed herself only to form a bitter smile and a few tears to escape her tear ducts.

She would swallow her pain and bitterness before she would go through with her duties. With that thought, Serenity bent down and woke Harry Potter up so that he could get on with his life, while she went on with hers.

Serenity, no matter how much she wanted to live a normal life, was not fated to be _normal_. And no matter how much she would want to escape her Fate, she would not wish it on anyone else.

The life of a guardian was a lonely path as she recalled.

(Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Saturn – all of you must have been _so_ lonely).

No, she would not let these duties fall on anyone else.

Wiping a stray tear and pasting on her best smile, Serenity waited with baited breath as she slowly found Harry coming to consciousness.

"_Harry_…wake up."

Harry groaned, trying to muffle the voice as he turned over, trying to go back to rest.

"Wake up, Harry…"

A cool hand touched him on the shoulder but he brushed it off, burying his head deeper under his arms.

"Silly boy."

A twinkle of laughter before the hand touched him again, this time shaking him more insistently.

"Go away…" Harry groggily said, wincing at the roughness in his tone. It sounded as if he hadn't used his voice box in years.

"It's time to wake up, Harry. You can't stay here forever."

Blinking away the sleep, and shaking the fogginess in his head, he slowly rose from his position. Bright green eyes instantly drew towards crystal blue.

"Serenity?"

She nodded in response, and offered him a hand up which he gladly took, wincing at protesting limbs.

"We've been asleep for a little more than two years."

"Two…years?" at her nod, Harry's memories slowly caught up with him and panic instantly flooded his system, "Hogwarts! What happened to the war? Voldemort… is he?"

Serenity smiled, "The war is over, and everything is now focused on reparations."

Harry sighed in relief before he started to come to terms as to where they were. Everything was dark, and right below them was a bubbling Cauldron.

"We had to go through death before rebirth. In the process, we have managed to win the war."

"At the price of our lives," Harry surmised.

"Yes."

"Does that mean…?" Harry couldn't bring himself to finish his thoughts – the idea of being dead was hard for him to swallow.

"No Harry, you're not dead," Serenity chuckled.

"Then what are we doing here?"

"You are to return back to Earth," Serenity waved at a now-open portal that appeared before them.

Harry felt the tingling sensation of excitement mixed with nervousness at the thought of going back. The unknown future was staring him in the face, and he wanted to know what awaited him. He could finally be free of the prophecy that hanged precariously over his head, and _live his life_.

"We won."

"Yes, we did." Serenity stared at him, amused.

"This is great!" Harry hurriedly took a step forward, instantly feeling a wave of dizziness over take him at the unnatural way his body was behaving.

"It'll pass," Serenity mused as she caught Harry's weak body, "It will take some time, but your body will soon catch up with you."

"Thank you."

Serenity nodded and stepped away once she was reassured of Harry's capabilities. The now-nineteen year old wizard came closer until he was at the entrance of the portal that would take him back to the Wizarding World. Looking back, he carefully studied the young woman and smiled.

"What are you doing all the way over there? C'mon I'm sure everyone is waiting."

Serenity only shook her head in the negative, "No Harry, I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

Harry frowned, "Serenity?"

"This," Serenity waved to the Cauldron behind her, "…is the Galaxy Cauldron where everything begins and ends for me."

Serenity gave a minute shake of her head as Harry's brow only drew closer, confusion marring his once-cheerful façade, "I was sent to your world to stop Chaos, who happened to have inhabited your Lord Voldemort."

Slow understanding dawned on the Gryffindor Golden Boy as bright green eyes darkened at the implications of Serenity's words. She had come to their world solely for the purpose of fulfilling her duties.

"What's to happen to you, then?" Harry couldn't stop himself from asking.

Serenity slowly revealed a small bitter smile, uncharacteristic of her angelic face.

"Whatever guardians are supposed to do, I suppose. Stay here and watch for all of eternity."

Harry understood the burden of expectations – he had lived all his life under the guise of what was expected of him. The thought of living all his life under that burden was overwhelming.

"All of eternity?"

She nodded, the smile falling to be replaced by indifference. However, Harry could see that there was regret shining behind those crystal blue eyes. In that instance, he felt a deep well of sorrow for Serenity's fate. He couldn't idly stand by and allow this to happen – he was a Gryffindor after all. It was in his nature to help others out, even if it meant at the cost of his life.

"I can't let that happen."

"Harry there's nothing you can do – you should go, everyone's waiting for you."

"They're waiting for you, too!"

"Everyone will eventually move on with their life."

Harry dropped his arms to his side, scowling at Serenity's words. Yes, everyone would eventually move on – everyone had to, they couldn't just stay set in their ways. Change was inevitable.

However, there was one person that might miss Serenity the most.

"Even Malfoy?"

Serenity fell silent, a flash of pain, regret, and longing appearing before she carefully reconstructed her mask once more. Draco Malfoy was someone that she held dear to her heart, if no one else.

Not knowing how to respond, Serenity turned away to face the bubbling Cauldron.

"_Please_ go Harry."

Harry was about to make a move forward, to force Serenity to listen to him and return to the Wizarding World. However, Serenity's stance and rigidity was answer enough to his lingering questions.

Perhaps he wouldn't have to wait for long before she would follow him.

"For what it's worth," Harry spoke up as he neared the portal, "You may not _need_ Malfoy in your life, but _he_ surely needs you."

Harry was right up to the swirling pool of mass colors, and gave her one more parting glance.

"Draco needs you, because he loves you."

Harry didn't bother saying good-bye at this point. From the sudden fragility that took over her body, Harry knew that his last words affected her more than anything else that he said.

He loved Serenity, but he knew that he could live without her in his life. He would be able to carry on in his life, and someday find someone to replace the emptiness in his heart. A substitute for the one he dearly loved and will always love.

However, Draco Malfoy was another altogether. He knew this based on the display of bravery and stupidity that Malfoy has done over and over again – all for the sake of his _love_ for Serenity Moon.

(Don't let us wait for long, Serenity).

With that, Harry Potter left and willfully thrust himself into the swirling portal that would take him back to the Wizarding World.

A gust of wind, a bright light, and then all Harry knew was darkness.

""""""""""""""""""

A cool breeze drifted through the blinds, sending it cascading off to the side, allowing the dark room to be filled with the moon's rays. All was silent in St. Mungo's, especially in Ward 49.

As the rays drifted further in the room, it came to rest when it reached a bed in the back of the room where a prone figure laid. Luminescent rays almost seemed to caress the occupant, illuminating its pale skin and white blond hair.

As the blinds began to flutter from another gust, the rays retreated from the sleeping patient but only to be replaced by a flash of light.

Surprisingly enough, all the patients in the room did not stir and so none were the wiser that they received a guest in their midst.

A shimmering female form appeared with blond hair and crystal blue eyes, and as her eyes gazed on the prone form in front of her despair overtook her once-peaceful features.

"Draco…"

Falling to her knees, Serenity Moon – now Cosmos – felt severe anguish at the sight.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Draco."

Serenity watched the deep breaths coming in and out of Draco's prone form. He was not in pain, of that she was glad. However, he was situated in an area where those who suffered so greatly would have no chance for a cure

It pained her.

"I should have come sooner."

Serenity reached over and placed her gloved hand over his.

As she stared at him, she allowed her thoughts to drift back to the moment Harry had left.

Her barriers had fallen with each passing second that drifted through the silent dimension. There was no life and no sound aside from the bubbling Cauldron. All she could do was spend her time reflecting back on her past.

It was here that she felt the most pain – her thoughts straying to the ones that she left behind on Earth, and those that she had failed in her past lives.

Artemis had told her that she needed to move on, and focus on her duties. But he never mentioned the cost for doing so.

"What am I to do now, Artemis?" Serenity dryly called out, knowing that there would be no answer.

Time crawled to a standstill for her, she had all of eternity. However, it did not take more than a few hours – for her – before silence was broken with a frustrated sigh. Wordlessly, a portal appeared in front of her.

Blue eyes swiftly gazed through before pinpointing the location and image that she sought.

_Draco_

A flash of light, a whispered voice, and then darkness.

Harry was wrong, because it worked both ways.

"I _need_ Draco, just as much as he _needs_ me."

She just did not realize this until now.

* * *

An unknown amount of time passed since Serenity arrived at St. Mungo's. After she calmed herself down, Serenity began to address Draco's current dilemma.

He was unconscious, his breathing even, and no telling signs that he was injured at all. It made her wonder what was ailing him.

Everything was blurred as she thought back to the Last Battle – adrenaline pumped through her veins, making everything more surreal and purely instinctual. There was no gray whilst in the middle of a fight – everything became kill or be killed. Those who allowed emotions to get in the way resulted in getting themselves hurt, or worst – killed.

It made her wonder if something similar happened to Draco because of it.

"It doesn't matter," Serenity said aloud, shaking unpleasant thoughts away before standing back up.

Wordlessly, Serenity procured a small illuminating jewel from thin air –the Silver Crystal.

"You will get better Draco – I promise."

With those words, Serenity's eyes have fallen shut as she stood over the young man's unconscious form.

"Cosmic Moon Power."

Bright white light filled the room, enveloping not only the figure before the young woman, but everyone within. In Serenity's heart, all she could do was wish for healing energy to emit from the Silver Crystal that she held within her hand.

Slowly the light began to fade away, and with it came the response that she sought.

A large intake of breath, a flutter of lashes, and the appearance of gray eyes.

Draco was awake.

"Nnn…" A smooth, alabaster hand slowly rose up to touch the bridge of his nose.

Ever so slowly coherence settled into half-lidded gray eyes and with it came the sudden realization of just where he was.

Blond locks that lengthened over time fell in front of his face as he slowly turned to survey his new accommodations.

"Hello Draco."

Grey eyes settled on blue, and at the sight of the familiar face a small smile settled over dry, chapped lips.

"Serenity."

It became excruciatingly evident to Serenity right then and there, that to the two of them, it didn't matter what circumstances occurred beforehand. As long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

They were all that they needed.

(I don't care anymore – I give up.) Tears fell down the sides of her face, whether from sheer happiness at seeing Draco awake, or the thought of what she was about to do next, she didn't know.

It didn't matter; she had already chosen her newly paved path.

Serenity chose Draco.

(As a guardian, I am bound by duty and honor to do what is expected of me. But as myself, I am not bound by anything but my own expectations, wishes, and desires. And that side of me wants Draco).

Serenity didn't care if the Fates came crashing down on her then and there, she didn't care if the world came to an end, or if Chaos chose to rise up from the Cauldron to destroy everyone and everything. She was tired of playing by their rules; she was tired of constantly thinking about the galaxy.

With an exhausted but serene smile, Serenity dropped to her knees and buried her face into the crisp bed sheets of Draco's hospital bed. Instinctually, Draco lifted a pale hand and pressed it over her mane of golden hair.

"I feel like I had just woken up from a long dream…" Draco absent mindedly stroked her hair while Serenity shifted her face so that she could peer at her beloved's drowsy, confused face.

"You have."

"…how long?"

"Does it matter?" Serenity took Draco's hand and brought it down to her face, placing a chaste kiss on the back of his hand.

"No-I guess not." Draco let a small, tired smile appear on his face before he slowly began to succumb to sleep. Serenity could clearly see that he was still trying to keep himself awake, but she understood that just because the Silver Crystal healed him, didn't mean that he would instantly be re-energized and fully functional. All the critical wounds inflicted on him have been lifted, but his limbs would need to be retrained to function on their own, and Draco would need to learn to get through the mental trauma that he received during the war.

"Go to sleep, Draco." Serenity slowly began to rise, but was stopped when his hand clutched onto her tightly.

"Will you stay?"

"Always, so long as you'll have me."

"…good." With that Draco succumbed willingly, a satisfied smile on his pale face.

"I'll tell you everything when you wake up," Serenity softly whispered, more to herself than to the sleeping man before her, "I promise."

Content with herself for the first time in a long time, Serenity found a chair and sat on it, waiting for the next time Draco would awaken so that she can tell him everything that happened in her life thus far.

It would be a difficult story to tell, but Serenity knew that Draco would accept it for a fact and would want some questions to be answered. Serenity would give him those answers.

She did not know how much Destiny and Fate would play itself out after this moment, but Serenity knew that no matter what she would love Draco for as long as she has with him.

For now that was enough and it was all she would need.

"""""""""""""""

_Six Years Later_:

A large, immaculate structure of white ornately decorated with dabs of silver and crystal blue stood on a large expanse of land. Every which way, children's toys and various playgrounds dotted the site with children laughing and playing – happy with the place. The Children's Center for Orphaned Wizarding Children was built only three years ago, and in that span of time it became a haven for children who had nowhere to go after the war or just in general.

Beside the doorway of the lone building stood a young woman of 25 watching the children as they dotted to and fro between playgrounds, merrily chasing each other as a new game sprung up amongst all the chaos.

"Hey Serenity!" Harry and Neville jovially waved as they waded between more children that stopped to greet the two regular visitors.

"Hi Harry! Hi Neville!" the children could be heard from the distance.

Serenity inwardly bit back a laugh, as Harry and Neville were torn between stopping to greet the children and talking to them or running up to Serenity for some form of salvation. It was not a secret that Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom came around every week or so, more so if they could spare the time. Though for all their visitations, Harry and Neville were quite well known in the Wizarding World.

For Neville, it was for his brilliant mind in Herbology – having discovered and bred newfound plant life to be used for potions ingredients. He was currently in the process of finding a way for his new plants to be capable of instantly curing Lyncanthropy, or at least making the change and recovery process to be relatively painless. In between his studies, Neville was well known and loved as an Assistant Herbology Professor to Professor Sprout at Hogwarts doubling as the Gryffindor Head of House in place of Minerva McGonagall.

For Harry, it was not only because of his part as the Savior of the Wizarding World. Harry had become rather famous as the unbeatable Seeker for the Montrose Magpies.

It was understandable that the children would be so fond of these two – being rather successful and famous.

"How is the Center?" Neville asked by way of greeting, ruffling a passing child along the way.

"Fine – it's only been three days Nev," Serenity grinned, rolling her eyes in the process.

"No Draco?" Harry asked, looking around for the blond aristocrat.

Draco would normally accompany Serenity whenever he got the chance, but they were far and few in between.

"Not today – perhaps tomorrow. Draco is off in the Wizengamot. There is a vote coming up."

"Oh," Neville blinked in understanding, while Harry looked at the two in confusion.

"You wouldn't remember it coming up, Harry, you were off in Portugal for a visit with the Braga Broomfleet team." Neville said by way of explanation.

"The vote is for the process of integrating Muggleborns to Wizarding Society," Serenity explained, "It's been a long time coming, but this proposal may actually work."

Ever since the end of the War, the Wizarding World had bantered back and forth of forming new policies instead of sticking to the old ways. A new change had to be created, and one of the largest arguments had been towards the teaching of the younger generation and the rights of magical beings.

A few policies towards magical creatures had been lifted since a lot of the war veterans remember their aid during war. However, it would take a few more years before it became completely abolished – such as allowing them to become fully integrated into Wizarding Culture or even going to the same school as wizarding children.

For now, the focus has been mostly on integrating muggleborns to wizarding society. It was not lost on the overall population that muggleborns were handicapped when it came to attending their first year to a Wizarding School. It was one of the reasons why purebloods looked down upon muggleborns – they did not understand wizarding culture.

Therefore a system for integration and teaching would be set up for muggleborns and halfbloods to help educate them in the ways of the Wizarding World. To placate muggleborns and halfbloods, a system would similarly be set up to educate purebloods in the ways of the muggles. This way neither side would be blind to the society of both worlds.

"Is Hermione going to be involved in this cause?" Harry asked a grin on his face – he knew that Hermione would always have a soft spot for these kinds of politics, despite taking a different career.

"Most likely, but at the moment, she's been quite busy. Hermione has been talking non-stop about this new spell she has been researching on. She wants to create a spell for Warding and Concealment this time," Serenity vaguely remembered the last time Hermione had stopped by.

"The children must have been ecstatic when they heard that," Neville chuckled to a frowning Serenity.

"They were – it took ages before they could calm down. They only calmed down when they managed to wear Hermione down, and have her show them a new spell," Serenity paused for a bit before realizing that Neville and Harry wanted to know what spell it was, "It was her latest creation at the time – made specifically for children. It was just a modified clean-up spell that instantaneously cleaned up your clothes while putting away nearby toys within 30 feet."

"Figures Hermione would come up with that," Harry shook his head.

"Especially since she's planning to have children with Ron," Ginny piped up.

"Ginny!" Serenity grinned at the beautiful redhead.

"Come back, have you?" Harry said by way of greeting when she approached him and Neville.

"What can I say? Britain will always hold a special place in my heart," Ginny flashed a bright smile.

"So how was Brazil? I heard Blaise was in the same location – did you two meet up?" Serenity spelled a table and chairs for her guests, figuring that they would not be entering the building but staying outside.

"Yes, Blaise says 'hi' by the way," Ginny flipped a wayward hair out of the way before spelling for drinks and snacks, "We're on a break again."

Harry and Neville shared a look while Serenity kicked and glared at the two to keep quiet. Ginny and Blaise's relationship has always been rocky for the two traveling models. Aside from that, they were also involved in different aspects of their secondary careers – Blaise with runework and Ginny with writing romance novels. Since Blaise and Hermione's amicable split after Draco's recovery, Blaise and Ginny had been having an off-again on-again relationship spanning the past six years.

Serenity and Hermione had observed the two, and figured that one of two things could happen. They would stop dancing around each other and finally seal the deal, or they could ultimately break it off because their relationship did not have a solid foundation to build itself on. There was too much fighting and too many one-night stands in between. Serenity and Hermione were betting on the latter to occur in the following months.

"Did you tell Ron yet?" Neville grimaced along with everyone else.

Ron had never been fond of Blaise, especially since Hogwarts years when he caught Blaise with Hermione that one night. He always feared that one of these days Blaise would come carting Hermione off – especially since to him, Blaise would always appear to have more in common with Hermione than he ever would.

"No, I came straight here. Besides, Ron is probably too busy with paperwork," Ginny waved her brother off, "In his letters he's always talking about finding a possible candidate for Chuddly Cannons and creating a new training regime for his team. Being a Quidditch scout and acting coach for the Chuddly Cannons is all well and good, but he's treading a thin line in it being an obsession."

"You have to admit that since Ron took up the job, the Cannons have improved a bit." Neville pointed out.

"The day that Ron beats Harry's team will be the day I give up romance novels," Ginny grinned, confident in Harry's ability and team to continue being successful in the years to come.

The four continued with their light hearted banter throughout the rest of the day, only stopping every now and then when a child would come running up to them or the actual matron of the Children's Center would come out to speak to them about a topic of concern.

It wasn't until night that the small group left, promising to meet up another day.

"I'm home!" Serenity opened the door to the Manor. Ever since Lucius died, she and Draco had lived in the Manor – Narcissa only coming by during Holidays ever since she took up the mantle of being a Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts.

"Welcome home," Draco came down the stairs, holding his wife close and greeting her with a chaste kiss, "How was the Center?"

"Fine, as always – Harry, Neville, and Ginny stopped by," Serenity wrapped her arms around Draco in return, "How was work?"

"I would have thought that Luna would come by; I heard she was in town with that husband of hers," Draco steered his wife down to the dining room, "You should invite her over – perhaps she would be willing to do an article about the upcoming vote. We need all the help we can get. It was a pain to get all that paperwork done, and trying to get the other Wizengamot members to agree with the changes that would have to be made."

"Sounds like you'll be busy for a little while longer," Serenity leaned up, kissing her husband on the cheek before sliding into her chair beside him, "Not too busy to accompany me tomorrow, I hope?"

"Never," Draco reached over, holding her left hand in his.

With that, the happy couple ate dinner and conversed on lighter topics – the Children's Center, Hogwarts and its staff, and their upcoming dinner party with their friends.

The six years spanning the moment of Draco's awakening was a road filled with ups and downs - it had taken only Draco a month to fully recover after Serenity's healing technique. This was followed up with uncertainty between the two upon Serenity's revealance of her true identity. Both sides were unsure when, or if ever, Fate would come out and force them to separate. However, over time they learned to simply take things as they came. They would love each other as much and as long as they could.

And it proved to be fruitful – with each day, Draco and Serenity's love continued to grow and solidify. They were married two years after their final year at Hogwarts. Leading up to Draco taking over his family's business and place in the Wizengamot and as a school governor. Serenity has never found her calling, and so instead had decided to partake as a regular volunteer at the Children's Center for Orphaned Wizarding Children that the two helped invest in and build.

Everything was – to Serenity's eyes – as it should be. She and Draco were happily married supported by their good friends in a world that no longer needed saving.

And as Serenity sat there enjoying a warm meal with her husband, she knew that Fate would probably – this time around – sit back and allow her this selfish wish.

"Thank you."

In another plane of existence, a fairly large group of people dressed in elaborate dresses and uniforms with ethereal wings watched on. They were happy that their Princess and dear friend had finally found what she needed.

Love.

End.

""""""""""""""""

Okay, yes, it was a crap ending. It held elements that I did want to put on there, but not all. I may change the ending some day. For now, it will remain as it is. I will now be putting one-shot scenes of the others that come into play. I may also come around to creating a side-story of Needed with a Harry x Serenity pairing. If and when I do create that one, beware – it will be much shorter than this and probably won't have as happy as an ending as this Draco x Serenity pairing.


End file.
